A Certain Fantasy Killer in the Land of Fantasy
by legacy30
Summary: Gensokyo and its inhabitants have been living in "relative" peace for over a hundred years. But now, the Dragon God, and bringing with him the Fantasy Killer he has returned. Just what is its purpose for bringing the antithesis of the Paradise the gods love?
1. Arrival I

**Disclaimer: To Aru Majutsu No Index belongs to Kazuma Kamachi and Touhou Project belongs to ZUN. I don't own either of these properties.**

**Arriving in Gensokyo with a BANG I**

* * *

Gensokyo.

The realm separated from the modern world in favor of shedding hope to the forgotten thrown over to the tides of history. If one sought adventure, comfort, and color within life's prospects to those without a home to speak of, then the realm of the supernatural should hold the answers.

That is and will forever be the ideal Gensokyo desired by many. Opened to all, abnormality or otherwise equally welcomed. Its reputation to the mystical world cemented its image to those with prospects of integrating themselves to the paradise loved by the gods.

Or at least, it would've been further onwards since it's conception.

Tonight sought to tell a different story than usual from how many had preceded the land. The sunset an hour before casted darkness with the holy star in the sky falling asleep before everyone else. It was just one night. One so simple and established with the usual anxiety by the human populace heedful of the hunger of youkai.

Simple occurrences left unbidden among the accepted norm of the land ranged from losing a few missing denizens in the dark or spent drinking tea out in the engawas in order to stargaze.

That, however, will be short-lived. Nobody was concerned enough to be precautious of disasters unannounced simply by the virtue of having experienced them too many times to be told in a lifetime. The air enclosed all around was eerie with trepidation suddenly.

The denizens had no way to expect the ensuing chaos granted to Gensokyo uninvited.

"""▂▂▂▂▂▂▃▃▃▃▃▃▅▅▅▅▅▅▇▇▇▇▇▇-!"""

It was utterly bestial yet blew the air of dignity. The power behind the rumble voice was no less inferior to a great calamity be it an earthquake or tsunami. Every atom in the air trembled in submission by the visible shockwaves ravaging the currents.

Rain marked the absence of peace and the divine came to the fore. It was either to bless fertility or destroy civilization. What was once a drizzle to last a single night became a crushing downpour easily for a week. Clouds incarnated and scattered everywhere in the sky, and the stars – representation of the gods – forced into prohibition from touching the Earth.

A silhouette squirmed and coiled hidden in the clouds across the horizon of Youkai Mountain. Under normal conditions, no soul could perceive the monstrous figure dancing within that force of destruction or rejuvenation.

Not unless they were a gifted soul in the field of visual surveillance ranging as far as the heavens.

A white wolf tengu at the height of 145cm was stationed at the border of the mountain as first witness to the true form of the madness above. Her red eyes and short, white, wild hair adjoined with a red tokin [1] dilated in primitive fear, yet steady in observation. She wore a white, long-sleeved shirt together with a large black skirt knitting a red-flame like design across it combined with a white layer below. Her hands shaken by the roar almost caused her scimitar and shield - enshrining a red maple leaf print on its center – to fall from her grip.

Her eyes carried the power of Telegnosis to see almost 4,000 kilometers away. The power granted her a chance to observe up-close what that figure truly was. Whether or not it was a curse or a blessing under the situation could not be surmised immediately.

Momiji Inubashiri noticed the anomaly as every hair on her body stood straight. A faithful patrolman for the Tengu species, who was always prepared for any kind of intruders upon the mountain, yet even this went beyond any prior experience she ever faced for the years she's been on duty. Her teeth were clenched tight and her legs were ready to buckle if roar distanced Gensokyo.

Ghastly amethyst fish scales patched the holes within the billow of clouds. They were a hint transparent and almost pale blue at certain intervals. A serpentine-like structural body frame. Its size gave no other indication for what the creature should be.

A dragon.

Although most of the details were shrouded in clouds, she could still make out details of the most distinguishing features. And a haunted expression colored her face pale when conflicting features and limbs clogged the clouds.

A head poked out with claws jutting from where its eye sockets should be. A limbed body cut the air from its crystalline skin.

_'Four_ – _no, eight dragons!'_ Momoiji thoughts screamed her words where her mouth tightened.

Blind Dragon - rough edges spiked across the body and claws horrifically extended from its eye sockets.

Mineral Dragon – entire body made out of crystal. Its clear beauty magnified from the four-spiked crown above the head.

Spear-Headed Dragon – A giant spear-head as its name signified being above its eyes and pointing forward to wherever its head gazed.

One-eyed Dragon – crown reminiscent of a cobra and a lone giant eye in the center of its head.

Energy Dragon – no muscle or meat upon its skeletal frame burning in an intense fire the likes of which no star could surpass.

Four-eye Dragon – two giant fangs off to the side of its face and four eyes skidded and wandered like a chameleon's eye.

Demon Dragon – horns helmeted its face with another pair under the chin and demonic wings behind its head.

The final – the established center point of the horde - had the general shape of a dragon's head with spikes protruding behind it. The most normal yet robust with mountainous power to tower the rest - The Dragon King.

The surprises never ceased. The most bizarre of all elements in the corner of her eye in contrast to the dragons was a single humanoid shape right in the center of the circling dragons. They were suspended in the air, preventing their fall.

The dragons' encircling movements around the humanoid had caused the drizzle all over Gensokyo to expedite. She was distantly conscious enough to call it a tiring nuisance in the back of her mind. The white tengu didn't want to be in her position right now while drenched too.

Then, a sudden shift in the air she felt even from her position on the ground. A sound unlike anything she had ever heard was approaching.

More shapes were elongating from the humanoid outline. As if eight weren't enough, two new members of the horde manifested themselves and joined the menacing circle.

Plant Dragon - completely covered or composed of vegetations, roots, and flora with a bulging heart in its chest.

Branch-horn Dragon - covered in white webbing-like scales complemented by its stunning pair of gold horns.

The gears of a grand setup were complete, and all, but one dragon, dispersed themselves hidden in the clouds and flying away independently to unconquered domains.

Momiji could almost make out the trajectory of one heading towards the moon.

The last one who stayed behind simply took its time observing the humanoid. Its tens of kilometers long body being spread out everywhere.

In a flash, without any warning, darkness blanketed the whole of Gensokyo. Disturbed by the sudden void in all directions, Momiji hurried to find some semblance of light. Drenched in sweat and panting fervidly, she wrestled her eyes away from the Dragon King.

When she saw the source for doming Gensokyo, her face blanched. A giant outline of _another_ serpentine body yet again highlighted and shaped by the rain high above it. This time, however, its body spanned across to the entirely of Gensokyo. She couldn't see any scales or the like on its body because it was painted pitch-black.

_'Oh what the hell! How is this fair!?'_ She roared in her mind. She lamented for the first time in her life for being put on duty for tonight.

Momiji took a few steps back and tripped on her rear. Overwhelmed by the sheer scale of the serpent, a thought sparked when her neurons started to come back into operation. There was no doubt in her mind. This was the Highest God of Gensokyo. The Creator God of Gensokyo. Its movement alone with its mass would destroy Gensokyo, and that was her humble opinion.

In total darkness, it remained afloat in the sky neither emitting a single sound nor movement. The suffocating atmosphere and fear coursing through her body impacted her to stop breathing.

That god sporadically phased like static. It continued to remain in this semi-state between corporeal and ethereal until finally, it dissipated into nowhere. The drizzle returned, having become a light shower thanks to the Dragon God's body interfering with the clouds and dispersing them.

She could've sworn that Dragon God's shape and features matched the Dragon King perfectly. [2]

Silently, she observed the sky becoming clearer due to the Dragon God's leave. It was enough for her to see the humanoid revealed to be a male human in strange clothing. An outsider she realized. But the most striking detail about him was his lack of a right hand. From that empty space was where the Dragon King's bottom half was protruding.

Man and Dragon suspended in the air. She had the faintest idea that maybe, they were communicating with each other up there.

Finally, Dragon King acted and dove down to cage him inside its mouth. Both then flashed out of existence, but with her eyes she knew it was pure speed, speed that would put a certain tengu she knew to shame.

The white tengu sat on the cliff beside a roaring waterfall, perspiring and longing to breathe after holding it in for so long. But this was no time to shelter oneself into inaction. She quickly picked herself up in a disheveled fashion using her sword as a cane.

Breathing in hard with her sweaty, pale blue face, she tried to steady her body and mind into pondering what she just witnessed.

_'What the hell...Dragon God has returned for real? So he really did exist!'_

For over a hundred years, the supposed creator god of Gensokyo had left this paradise unattended without ever gifting an official appearance. The people who attended the inauguration of Gensokyo were the only real source of evidence to his existence, and they were very convincing at that. Some kept quiet about their involvement. The real problem was the lack of documentation to how he was involved during the day of creation. Over time, the newer additions in Gensokyo chalked him up as a fable and passed the credit over to the sages. Despite the generous populace who worship him, both youkai and humans, the lack of an official appearance damaged his credibility.

_'Why did Dragon God return? Who were the others with him? And who was that human? Was he brought into Gensokyo by Dragon God? Does he have a higher purpose to play?'_ She repeated these unanswered questions in her head.

"Hah...must report...to...hah...Lord Tenma..." With a breathless voice, she muttered out her self-imposed duty. The dryness in her throat burned. The current area she sat upon wasn't ideal for gathering answers or to reach the officials.

After enough time to steady herself to the minimum, she decided not to waste a single moment and flew back to the tengu village in the dark, leaving behind her station.

Had she stayed for a few more seconds she would've witnessed a serpentine body treading under the waterfall.

* * *

Under the stillness inside a dingy antique store lied its owner on the counter, sitting immobile on his chair. The most out of place item in juxtaposition to the Paradise stuck in the Meiji period was some tablet in his hand.

Cooped comfortably inside to escape the rain and night, he was pleasantly engrossed on his mysteriously working iPad reading the available, modern, digital novels already downloaded inside.

Not much can be said about this unassuming shopkeeper. His height was very surprising among the Japanese populace being as tall as 185cm. It would be entirely right to say he was undeniably human, but it was also right to say he undeniably possessed a body of fantasy. Inhumane golden eyes were cloaked behind his glasses and short silver hair. His black and blue kimono was heavily modified to his unique stature. The three folds of aprons having a unique yin-yang taijtu design rested to his front and sides down the calf. His torso was protected by metal gear that held the kimono strictly in place. Below it, he was geared with a leather tool case. And his pants were sky blue base with white patterns.

He muttered mutely to himself, a lit oil lamp being his only reading light. Rinnosuke Morichika maintained his solitary way of life in such a fashion.

"So this is what a typical school life is supposed to be in the outside world. Fascinating..." His eyes glowed in interest.

Currently, he was reading an old issue of _My Youth Romantic Comedy Is Wrong, As I Expected_.

"The peaceful exterior of an average day hides an insidious, dark underbelly...modern society remains ever so vicious as it was centuries ago." He quietly exclaimed now that he was really into the text.

How true this was can be left up to debate elsewhere. It was true in a different light, unfortunately. Reality can be much stranger than fiction at times.

"The most sensible person in society is prejudiced and isolated by the ignorant masses. Such is the way of life for the wise." Rinnosuke nodded solemnly with his eyes closed.

Already being attached to the protagonist of the light novel, he increasingly started to immerse himself in the world of the text.

"Women outside are as cold and vicious as they are here. No matter what world, this law remains unchallenged..." He made a troubled face from learning of this one, obvious truth.

This idea of women remained solid in his mind having been the victim of multitudes of women coming into his store to either harass or refuse to be customers under the house of the shopkeeper. He had a _very_ biased opinion.

"The sweet, happy-go-lucky girls that are kind to everyone. Behind that mask is a pitying face for the average man. Good, good, he didn't fall for her deceptions, he'll live a long life with an attitude like that..." He grimaced and appreciated the intelligence of the protagonist. Having experienced similar affiliations with similar women.

If any woman were to hear him talk smack to this degree, he'd be long dead. The reason for his continued survival of this long degree is exactly because he was an unassuming fellow that nobody ever notices or have given second thoughts to. A blessing he has well mastered for centuries.

"It's a nice change of pace from the ever-growing trend of isekai flooding the market. After the last sixty or so they became quite stale…" He admitted his completed reading quota casually.

No matter where the world turns to, fads will prevail in any era.

"There appears to be new editions to this series. Now I have something to look forward to in my personal time. Bookmarked."

As the man tended to his menial and mundane hobby, the old and forgotten warrior sleeping within suddenly roused awake in instinctual attention awaiting an old command.

"..."

Rinnosuke paused briefly when the rush of blood in his system hastened as they sung with excitement. The time had come, and he waited patiently. But times have changed and so did he, so where he stood cannot be determined immediately in coming times.

The drum of a thunderous growl reached his ear, and he knew it would come. Only this one was not one which he was familiar with.

"Hm?" He ripped his eyes away from the tablet and turned them slowly to his front window. Smacking sounds on the glass had intensified. He ignored the clamor like nothing was out of place and returned to his own world, the world of literature. The coming days could wait for just a tiny bit more.

The outside turned completely black and the rain ceased. But this was ignored as well with the convenient lamp by his side, so nothing seemed out of place to him. With his experience in solitude he can mute the sound of rain with ease.

Something just bumped onto to his antique store. The curtains of the window were dangled. Tableware shifted from their initial positions on the shelves.

"Hm…" Finally, he stood up from his chair, dropping the tablet softly on the smooth wooden desk and strode forward to lifts the curtains completely, freeing the visibility outside made available from the window.

Four eyes were revealed to be staring at him.

Shutting the curtains down in the same beat he did when opening them, he then walked back and turned his focus back to the iPad in his hand again.

A loud pressure of impact rammed onto the front of the store.

The store was rumbling by the intent of something again, only this time it was a lot more aggressive. Teacups rumbled on their shelves and scattered on the floor, bursting into pieces. Plates were a lot more unfortunate as rows of stacked dinner plates crashed down in an unorganized symphony. The glass of the window and curtain were blown off and crashing on the floor.

Four eyes became visible again, only this time they were glaring and growling at the fool was acting indifferent earlier.

The man sighed drearily. Unwillingly, but strangely cooperatively, Rinnosuke got up again and went to his hanger for a rain cloak and covered himself. He grabbed _another _rain cloak and hung it over one of his shoulders. He was on his way to the door but stopped in contemplation. He turned around and headed into the storage room. The audible sound of items was thrown and tossed around by the scavenger. Coming out of the room, Rinnosuke was covered in dust with a sword by his side. "Just in case..."

Opening the door and closing it on his way out, Rinnosuke was finally out in front of his door and gave a quick glance at the four eyes. They stared back.

...

...

...

...

The stifling atmosphere was broken by the man in the flesh of a fantasy.

"Well, I can't get to work if I don't have an address." He said to the dragon lying in front of his store.

Four Eyes made a grunt and Rinnosuke got the message.

"Alright then. I'll be off now." Rinnosuke started walking with purpose towards his given destination. He passed by the head of Four Eyes but stopped in place to rotate his head at the serpent. "Oh, one more thing," Rinnosuke arched his eyebrows, "can you clean up the mess while I'm gone, please?"

Four Eyes grunted in compliance. The large body of scales slithered forward to the store and peered inside to mark its work.

Having everything arranged and thanking the dragon, Rinnosuke resumed his path.

"Ow!" He uttered out by reflex from something being tossed at the back of his head. Rotating his head back again, he saw the dragon's head innocently staring into his store as if it hadn't done anything of note. Grunting, he tilted his eyes down and saw several magatamas [3] lying by his feet. Bending his body down to pick them up, he straightened himself and inspected the objects on hand.

"The Yasakani no Magatama!?" [4] Rinnosuke let out in surprise and looked back at Four Eyes, its head remaining still the whole time. "Thank you, again."

With no more distractions to deter him, he set off into the dark night. The helper of the long rain truly beginning his long trek in the shower of rain returning.

* * *

In the dead of night, on the edge of the Misty Lake at an imposing, European-styled mansion, the little sister of the mistress stared out the window in one of the many hallways. Her boredom reflected the atmosphere inside the elegant mansion. Utterly empty in a dark enclosed space being dimly lit by candles hanging by the walls.

The little sister in question is Flandre Scarlet, a vampire almost half-a-millennium years old, her childish body of 138cm betraying her age. Her crimson eyes with their vertical slits embodied the image of a vampire. Her hair was short, blond and styled in a loose perm tied in a single ponytail to her left side. Her red dress and vest with frilled sleeves, pink shirt underneath and fancy boots substantiated her position of nobility - A pink mob cap with a red ribbon attached decorated her head. And the most expected, but unusual feature even among her species is her wings. They completed her figure as their black tendrils stretched out from her back. Adorning them are polygonal crystals the colors of the rainbow in parallel with each side.

She was floating with her legs kicking back behind her. Her arms laid flat on the bars of the window with the one side of her head resting on them. Being a master of the nocturnal, she seldom needed sleep as an undead monster. Being most active during the night, she snuck out of her basement in favor of viewing the outside world as a common occurrence she hid well from the other masters of the mansion.

Her mind cursed the rain within her charmingly bored expression. Rain, or more specifically flowing liquids were one of many weaknesses attached to the moniker of a vampire that physically walking under it was agonizing to put it lightly. Prevented from sneaking into the garden to taste the ephemeral air of the world beyond her room and bed, she stared at the glass stained and dipping in raindrops.

Just then, a massive displacement of air shook the manor. Candles shook madly in their hangers. With her heightened senses, she listened and pinpointed the source vaguely above the lake next to her home. She heard the fairy maids scrambling all over the manor in fear, but that didn't matter to her. She felt a slight feeling of fear, curiosity, and then irritation from the rain growing heavier. She wouldn't be able to go out of the manor at this rate for tomorrow.

With renewed focus, her crimson eyes searched for the perpetrator. The dark outline in the clouds visualized with her sharpened eyes in the night gave her the source in no time. She couldn't tell what the creature was from the outline alone as the rain was in the way.

Having lifted her arms off the window bars a short moment ago, she stretched her left arm in front, flexing her hand and curling her finger one by one. The relaxed action might have been enchanting, but to anyone familiar with or had half-a-decent instinct would bail out the moment a finger twitched.

It was a dreadful power spoken of in rumors. The power to destroy anything.

Such a power was befitting the demonic moniker of a vampire. However, such a potent ability should have limits. And there was, however, it was a minor one. The only prerequisite to using it was finding the targets 'eye' and grasping it to her hand.

Everything has an 'eye.'

The point where an object or living being's tension was highest. If these 'eyes' are destroyed, then the object is destroyed without fail, and without any remains to speak of. She was the sole exception in regard to seeing and interacting with them. And more frighteningly, destroy them on a whim.

By gathering the 'eye' of an object to her hand, she can pour power into it (usually by crushing it with her hand) to destroy it, and by destroying the 'eye' she too destroys the corresponding object.

This fearsome ability alone is reason enough for her family to lock her inside The Scarlet Devil Mansion. It wasn't unusual to fear such a destructive power beheld at the hands of a child. Being ostracized by people around her during her youthful days, she was disconnected from forming basic morals. Locked deep under the basement, her lack of emotional growth spiraled out of control.

Right now, her irritation was growing unstable as she immediately employed her ability to destroy the perpetrator of the sudden torrent happening outside. With no remorse behind her, her cold expression chilled the hallways.

She gathered and gathered, searching and searching the shadows in the sky for where their 'eyes' were suspended. Every space, every shadow occupied by them would be torn asunder and be thrown into the void by her cold indifference.

Her hand grasped empty air instead.

Eyes wide open, she stared directly into the impossible. The reason was an utter mystery, an elusive enigma. Must the cloud and rain had obstructed her vision or the distance far too strenuous for the ultimate power of destruction? The latter could not have been the problem for she had destroyed a meteor far into the limitless sky in a time long ago.

Having spent her entire life inside a basement, she had very little opportunity to test the limits her ability could reach. Not that she would willingly do so at any given opportunity to avoid irritating her sister into forcing her own hand to scold the little sister.

While the little vampire was distracted from her bedazzlement, the outside world turned into a darker pitch of black, and the rain ceased its activity. The ruby eyes of a curious little girl peered into the darkness. The limited space of the window did not provide enough freedom of view, so to her the sky turned black and the stars vanished.

Now she was truly afraid as fear crawled its insidious fangs into her spine and blood. Despite being a master of the night, the rapid pace of events could only leave her bewildered, left in the dust and background from understanding fast enough. It didn't help since there was something out there that can summon rain and devour the stars. She merely stared right into the abyss for the whole time. A shiver ran through her. Just now, she felt like the abyss _stared back_.

The pale light of the moon returned, and the darkness was uplifted. What took place in her view now was the mostly empty sky. The rain never returned with the clouds parting. And the only distinctive object left in the sky was a dragon.

Her eyes glinted back to burning with life it in a rush. She wanted to destroy the dragon. In a remorseless furor, she examined every nook and cranny on its body, in search of its 'eye.' Her frightened, juvenile mind wanted the serpent gone. Her eyes traveled from the top of its head and moved downwards on its body. That was when she took sight of a human in the sky where the body of the dragon stopped. The dragon's body seemed to be elongating out of the human, and it wasn't completely formed with the absence of its tail. She would've questioned the abnormality of a dragon sticking out of a human, but her mind was in no condition to care.

She had finally found an 'eye.' This one didn't come from the dragon unfortunately, but from the human instead. Her conclusion stemmed from the dragon being the cause what with its obvious noble air compared to the rather out of place and lacking in any distinct traits of the human. It seemed to have a deep connection to the human it was connected to, so it must also be its weakness.

Making her decision, she clutched the 'eye' in her hand and squeezed.

She squeezed, and squeezed, and squeezed, and squeezed, and squeezed.

Completely befuddled, she took her eyes off the two beings in the sky and lowered them below to the 'eye' in her hand. She tried crushing with all her super strength this time. Next, she poured all her might and magic into the 'eye.'

It stayed in her hand and regressed back to its former shape from how she was handling it.

Her mind couldn't travel fast enough for her to comprehend this. Her fears evaporated as she stared into the 'eye' as it stared back at her. The staring contest could last for an eternity until-

Her mouth stretched into the brightest smile she ever made in her life. The brain was on a sugar rush. Cheeks became rosy, and her eyes sparkled and glistened. Her body was madly vibrating in the air with uncontainable excitement.

She broke off eye contact with the 'eye' and looked out the window one last time. The duo was nowhere in sight now.

"Thank you…"

Flandre quietly muttered, but that small noise carried a lifetime of joy.

"Finally…someone who won't break…"

Flandre Ogled the 'eye' in her hand and clutched it close to her chest with her eyes shut. She would never let go of this. Her first and most precious, precious friend. She shifted her legs closer to her chest to enclose the 'eye,' now in a sitting position in the air.

"He-hehehehehe…!"

She broke into a fit of innocent giggles befitting the young, child-like body of hers.

"Hahahahahahahahahahaha!"

Jubilation embraced her being as she laughed and stretched out every limb outward while throwing the 'eye' above her.

Righting herself straight, she caught the 'eye' in her hands and juggled it in the air. Twirling around, her dancing motions created a faint breeze in the hallway.

"Hu-hu-hu hum~, hum hum hu~!"

She hummed along with each minor gesture, 'eye' in hand. The jubilant girl wandered down the hall without purpose, increasing her tempo with each twirl. The shaken fairy maids looking upon her with confusion and horror on their faces were similarly ignored. They wouldn't understand, only the 'eye' could. That's what she thought. The only thought remained in her mind.

_'A friend…! A friend…! A FRIEND! One that will always survive my touch!'_

She stopped in place to bend her knew and tilt her body slightly down. The 'eye' was being held in both hands as she fixed her stare at it longingly. She knew this wasn't the real friend in her hand. It was only a substitute.

_'If only there were some way, I could learn something about you…'_

Then, as if in response to her wishes the pupil of the 'eye' glowed. Flandre wasn't cautious - in fact, she was giddy with anticipation. Her eyes widened and twinkled like stars. Her complete trust was placed on to her would-be friend.

_'What more surprises will the night gift me!? Oh! It's showing me something!'_

Gaining a friend during the night and learning a new aspect to her once dreaded ability she cared little for, Flandre was having the time of her life.

A vision, a thought, or word was crystalized inside that 'eye.' The information of the 'eye' and what one could gleam from it must be extracted using the power of a _wish_.

Once the light subsided, Flandre was grinning madly, holding back a squeal and muttered…

"Kamijou Touma…"

She wished to know of her friend, and the 'eye' would grant her knowledge of the corresponding person. Of course. An 'eye' is intricately connected to everything it belongs to. The body, soul, and history of the object. If the 'eye' is destroyed, so will everything that belongs to it. As the sovereign who reigns over the 'eyes,' she could command them other than to destroy. She could listen to the history that is connected to the 'eye' and absorb it into her.

Having ever used her powers during her most emotional instability, she could only have been using it to destroy being so simple-minded. But now, using this power over 'eyes' for the sake of learning and reaching out to others instead has given birth to a possibility she had never thought of before.

For the first time, she was glad to be in possession of this power.

"Touma, Touma, Touma…!"

Muttering the name of her non-physical friend like a mantra, she shivered in excessive joy.

By a stroke of luck in learning the new ways her power could be employed, her friendship with the unseen person magnified.

_'It seems to be a one-sided exchange. I can learn from him, but he can't on this end since I only have this power…'_

Standing up in the air, she had tried to project her thoughts to Touma and tell him her name. But nothing special occurred.

_'If only there was a way to find him…'_

In response yet again, the 'eye' floated off from her hands softly and traveled in a straight path with purpose.

Flandre beamed with pride, puffing her chest up for her new finds. She could now use the 'eyes' as a tracker to the desired person it belongs to. An 'eye' being removed from its person is unnatural and would correct this wrong by returning to its rightful place.

_'Finally, I can finally leave this mansion when that girl permits me to once I bring a person who I can't break! He could even be my tutor! And... and as long as I have him by my side, I'll never be bored again!'_

The first quest of the night began. Look out ol' misfortunate one. For there will be no escape from the Devil's sister. For a shadow has cast itself all over your already dark future.

_'Today, right now, is when I'll find my friend!'_

Led by the 'eye' moving at a steady pace, they both stopped at another window in the mansion.

And from the glass case, it had raindrops flowing down upon it. The noise of downpour and the crackling of thunder entering her ears.

"Mouuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu!"

The little sister could only moan and pout as she swung her fists above her, having ordered the 'eye' to stop as well.

Perhaps another day will come…

* * *

[1]: Tokins are small boxes worn on the foreheads of Yamabushi - practitioners of Shugendō - or more commonly known as Tengu. They can also be used as a drinking cup besides being a head decoration.

[2]: Dragon king, Dragon God, they both have the same reading in kanji and are spoken the same as Ryūjin.

[3]: Curved, comma-shaped beads described as jewelry and are used as ceremonial and religious objects in Japan, commonly as talismans.

[4]: One of the three sacred treasures in Japan. An imperial regalia. It was used in conjunction with another sacred treasure, The mirror Yata no Kagami to lure the sun goddess, Amaterasu from a cave she self-imprisoned herself in.

**A/ N: So yeah, hello everybody, and thank you for having read the first chapter to my first fic!**

**As of plans right now, I'm just jotting down the rough outline of the plot. The first chapter here I've only scrambled up in procrastinating for a few days and wanted to get this out now. I'll warn you early here to expect a very, very irregular update schedule, if I had one.**

**I've taken creative liberties to shoehorn in some leftover dragon designs and incorporate them for future plot points. As for Flandre's newfound application to her ability…it may or may not serve as a plot point down the line.**

**Expectations to be had for the fic starting now: Kamijou Touma, nuff said.**

**Please call out any grammar errors in my fic. They are very much appreciated.**

**Once again, I appreciate you spending the time to read this with my amateur writing skills and look out for more updates to come as I try to improve.**


	2. Arrival II

**A/N:**

**For review responses, I will do select ones and not all of them. Right now I'm only responding to one**

**Guest: The leftover dragons coming out will play a role at some point; one of them may be earlier than you think. As for Angel... they're preoccupied in canon, but he might reappear here. Who Knows!**

**Disclaimer: To Aru Majutsu No Index belongs to Kazuma Kamachi, and Touhou Project belongs to ZUN. I don't own either of these properties.**

**Arriving in Gensokyo with a BANG II**

* * *

Stuck within the sky is a giant, gaping vortex. This blackened vortex is a gateway to the Netherworld. A land separated from the living by the Barrier of Life and Death. The barrier itself is a massive door with four wooden pillars emerging from the clouds. This barrier should've prevented the living and dead from interacting with one another.

'Should've' is the keyword here.

Back then, during one of Gensokyo's springs, an incident occurred where the barrier was weakened to absorb spring itself and extending the expiration date of winter. Now that incident had already been resolved, the barrier was left as a means for phantoms to leak into Gensokyo and the living entering by flying into the vortex.

Inside the Netherworld itself is a Pure Land [1] where time does not flow and things do not decay as a result.

Right now, the Netherworld is experiencing rainfall.

Its inhabitants are comprised of the dead which includes the aforementioned phantoms, ghosts, and spirits.

One particular abode inside is Hakugyokurou. A shrine that overlooks the entirety of the Netherworld.

One woman with a slightly tall and mature figure resting at 162cm is residing in Hakugyokurou. Maroon eyes decorated her pretty face under short wavy pink hair. A blue mob cap adorned her head with a hitaikakushi [2] that has a red ghost inscription in front of it. Covering her body is a loose, blue and white kimono with a ghost design all over it. This woman is the ghost "princess" of the shrine, Yuyuko Saigyouji.

Attending to her needs is a young half-human, half-phantom gardener and her personal fencing instructor (a failing one). Reaching up to 150cm is a petite girl bearing dark blue eyes on her solemn face. Her short, silver hair is worn in a bob cut with a black ribbon tied upon it. Her dark green and white dress with short sleeves is designed with ghost insignias along the edges of the skirt and breast pocket. This young swordswoman is Youmu Konpaku.

Presently, the duo is out in the courtyard viewing the rain as it pours. Yuyuko is sitting with her legs dangling over the floor's edges while the servant is sitting in seiza [3] to the right of her master. Her long katana, Roukanken, and wakizashi [4], Hakurouken are placed beside her.

"The rain tonight won't last long. I would say it might letup by midnight." Stated by Youma in complete confidence.

"How naive. You must never underestimate any rain. Who knows, the Dragon God might come out right now to prolong the misery. Now, who would be to blame then?" The advice seemed amiable, but its nature was more inclined to tease and play with her open seriousness.

"I wouldn't call a regular drizzle worth the attention of a dragon Yuyuko-sama…"

"My, my... Youma-chan has become so disrespectful… if I must, then I'll offer her to the Dragon God as appeasement. Maybe then I might avoid the flood…"

Yuyuko wore a wounded expression as she covered herself with one of her sleeves like a mother finding out her rebellious child had run from home. Youmu could only sweatdrop in exasperation to her antics.

"While we're on the topic, what exactly is Dragon God? I've only ever known him to be Gensokyo's High God, but there's barely anything known about him."

"Oh? Now Youmu-chan is interested in Dragon? There is hope after all."

"Mou~, please answer the question Yuyuko-sama!"

"It's not like I'm the most informed about him. That would probably go to Yukari I suppose."

Yuyuko scrunched her face up in thought.

"Dragon God… his existence is questionable. There is little doubt however that he's not Ryūjin who lives at the bottom of the sea. He is also neither the Watatsumi the Lunarians worship."

"Then he doesn't exist?"

"Oh, no…now Youma-chan is in doubt with Dragon. If anyone asks, you didn't hear it from me." Yuyuko practically gasped in horror. The tongue on this girl was unacceptable.

"Mou! Yuyuko-sama!" Indignation in response was the only excuse to use for the swordswoman.

"Well…unlike most gods here in Gensokyo, he bears the power of a monotheistic deity from Yukari's words. She would place him in the leagues of other gods I've heard from her like Zeus and Odin."

"Those are gods I never heard of."

"I wouldn't be surprised, Gensokyo manages itself to stay within the boundaries of the east. Western influence is sparse here."

"Then…how would you say about the gods you just mentioned?"

"Hmm…if trusting in Yukari's words, then they are below Dragon. That much she had confidence in."

Suddenly-

**"HHRAAG-gaAaaAAAaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHK!"**

The growling rain was overshadowed by the heaven-shattering roar that erupted in the sky. The duo shot their eyes towards the source. Being higher up in the atmosphere from their vantage point, they could see portions of scaly bodies slithering under on the edges of the clouds.

Youmu bolted in reflex and grabbed her long katana, placing one of her hands on the hilt while she stood up in a drawing stance. Yuyuko however, simply extended her arm to hold off Youmu. Ordering her to stay down. Standing up as well, she took her time to observe the airborne bodies.

A body that's in blazes and others with their own unique features. _Eight_ she counted. If Youmu had sent off any hostility, they might have decided to turn their attention here. The night deformed into a haunting, ominous nightmare in a flash.

The feeling they gave to her was…otherworldly. Their presence crept her body uncomfortably. Though their bodies didn't look out of place, they still sent off signals in her mind of how _wrong_ they were. And she was a phantom for crying out loud. She didn't dare to use her power over death. Right now, she felt it worthless in the face of such beings.

Standing there and waiting for the abnormal, the dragons remained in constant motion as they circled around _something_ in the clouds.

"Y-Yuyuko-sama, stand behind me…!"

She could hear her servant's clattering teeth barely in the drowning of rain. The rain wept and bellowed, like a chorus announcing the height of bliss.

Yuyuko had her eyebrows furrowed with a frown. Keeping her eyes locked at the dragon, she ignored Youmu.

Agonizing seconds were carried away by the weeping rain in response to the appearance of the dragons.

The next thing she saw were two new additions being manifested deep within the bowels of water and air.

Enough time flew by and they dispersed into the air, their destinations being unknown. The last to stay however stopped its movements to keeping its sights on whatever it was in the center.

_*KSSSSSSSSH-!*_

A noise resounded out to every direction. What became of next was total darkness forcing the to rain stop their chorus.

Gazing up into the endless dusk, she saw a giant dragon's head. There were no pupils in its eyes, but an endless nebula instead.

"Dragon God…"

Yuyuko muttered out without her input. A Freudian slip despite the possibility it wasn't the real deal.

Youmu had dropped her sword to cling onto Yuyuko's back. She felt it too, the hopelessness and insignificance of her being next to Dragon God. Whimpering because of the dark, she had tears running down.

After some time, the shadow of the Dragon God vanished, and the sky returned to normal. Only a single dragon that had the same head as Dragon God remained. She couldn't see the thing it was staring at because its body is in the way. The next it done was chomping down whatever it was focused on and disappeared into thin air.

"Hic...Hic..."

"…It's alright now, he is gone."

Youmu picked her head up to look at the sky, trusting Yuyuko's words. Her words were true as the night sky was back with a few clouds hanging. It was a euphoric emotion surveying the normalcy of the sky.

Noticing where her hands were, Youmu promptly backed off in bashfulness. Waving her hands all over her face as she wiped away her tears.

"Aww~, Youmu, you were so cute just now~! " Returning back to her previous demeanor, Yuyuko squealed and clasped her hands together to the side with one foot raised like a ditsy girl.

Youmu went bright red from Yuyuko mercilessly pointing out her embarrassing performance in front of possible danger, especially because of the danger it presented to Yuyuko. The master she was supposed to protect.

"Uuu...!"

"But how are you going to protect me at this rate...? If you can't handle the pressure, then I don't have a choice but to..." Stopping her herself from her current acting, she went on to questioning Youmu's capacity and value.

"Wah! Wah! Please don't fire me! I promise I'll work myself off to correct this disgrace! Even to the point of my death!" Youmu went back to trembling on her spot, Her eyes threatening to cry once more. How ironic for a half-phantom to speak of dying.

"No~pe, this can't be amended with just hard work. I suppose I'll do the protecting now. From now on, you can look up to this Onee-chan, Youmu-chan!" Yuyuko smiled to herself with pride. Youmu went on to prostrate before her to retract her decision. The master shouldn't be responsible for the safety of the servant. A servant that can't perform decently for her master is worthless.

"Please don't throw me AWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY!" Going back to crying as the floor became a victim to the flood, Youmu begged for another chance.

"Then I want 20 pieces of jam dumplings, 50 pieces of sweet soy-glazed dumplings, 30 pieces green soybean dumplings, and 10 pickled daikons, on the double. I also want you to clean up the mess you just made. After that, sweep the entirety of Hakugyokurou while you're at it too." Without mercy, Yuyuko ordered Youmu to do a harsh list of tasks.

"Right away!" Picking herself and Flashing away from the ground, she went off to the kitchen.

Sighing in relief the moment Youmu was gone from her sight, Yuyuko collapsed down on the floor. Embracing herself to ward off the chills all over her body, she stayed there for a while.

Looking back into the horizon, her thoughts drifted to how Gensokyo will live through this. An incident, unlike the rest, will arrive, and with possible enemies beyond them in spades.

* * *

"And just how long do you plan on staying here?"

"Gulp, gulp, Bwuhah~! Aw, don't like that! You know you're lonely without Iku or me."

"As if. If I had known about this, then I would've never agreed to this arrangement!"

"Ah really? If you're so unsatisfied then how about fighting me?"

"It's wearisome enough for other celestials to come and attack me because of you!"

"No way, no way, no way! It's raining, so I'm staying!"

"Insufferable…"

"Gulp, gulp, hwey… whuoy ar ye back in hhheaveen aanniway?"

"Aah? Well…"

"…?"

"…wai…f…Iku…"

"Pfft-Aha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha! I knew it!"

"So you aren't drunk after all!"

The first voice was angelic and soothing to the ear. It belonged to a long, blue-haired girl of 150cm with her hair reaching her elbows. Her deep blue eyes reflected the clear ocean. Wearing a black hat adorning two peaches and leaves, white button-up blouse with a red bow tied to the collar, blue dress with a light blue bow on the back and the skirt designed with the imagery of the open sky, finished with brown lace-up boots. Linked around her apron is a rainbow-patterned shard link: Tenshi Hinanawi, a (Fallen) celestial of heaven.

Her conversational partner, whose drunken voice belonged to was 140cm in height. Her brown eyes were dropping because of her excessive drinking and her ginger hair tied in a thick ponytail down her bottom with side bangs the length of her arms. She was by no means human with two long straight horns protruding out of the sides of her head being lavished with ribbons. A tattered pink blouse, a long purple, and pink skirt, and three chain accessories gripped to her belt made up her clothing: Suika Ibuki, an oni.

The two were hanging together (with aggravation from the celestial) on a floating island. This island was special as it was a territory of heaven. Buddhist heaven specifically. Suika won this piece of land as she bested Tenshi in combat at one point and the celestial gave it away, ignoring the protest and ire of her fellow Celestials.

"Go on! Shoo! Shoo!"

"Nwoooo~!"

The tiny girl clung to a boot of the celestial's as she tried to boot the oni off her and heaven.

Their banter was cut short with the rumbling air. Both froze in place with their eyes wide.

**"HHRAAG-gaAaaAAAaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHK!"**

The roar of a dragon, one that reminded Suika of someone. Sobering up immediately, Suika's pupils turned crimson with yellow slits. She walked to the very edge of her territory and overlooked the clouds below. All she could see were dark shadows shrouded in gloomy clouds.

Sensing Suika being so solemn for the first-ever, Tenshi was astonished and walked to where she was, following her line of sight.

Grinning with her eyes glaring in intensity, Suika crackled her fingers, curling them in anticipation. Her face was captured in rapture.

"So you'll leave after all?"

"Yeah…this is something I can never miss out on."

"Where are you planning to go?

"Worrying about me? You? Aw~, I knew you'd come around with your true feelings eventually~."

"Quit playing your jokes; I wasn't asking in consideration for you, you know. What's so special about this thing down there?"

Suika could only shake her head in amusement with her eyes closed.

"I'm going to see an old pal of mine. If this one really is him, then," Suika paused, unsure of what she was going to do if the one below was the person she spoke of just now, "we'll see how things turn out."

Tenshi raised her eyebrows in inquisitiveness. Because of Suika acting really hesitant, she too grinned as well.

"An old pal is it? Heh~, if this person is capable enough to earn your recognition, then he must strong right? You're hesitating quite a bit, so that must mean he's stronger than you, right?"

Whipping out her Sword of Hisou in hand, she attempted to jump down the ledge and challenge the beasts swarming below.

"Yeah, he's strong all right. Definitely more than I am, he's a dragon, of course, he would be." She admitted bluntly, surprising Tenshi. "You're just asking to die with your meager power against him. He probably won't kill you, but…" The oni taunted her after to placate the celestial from doing something stupid.

"Hmph…"

Tenshi flummoxed from the jab. She wouldn't back down if someone questioned her battle prowess. However, this was Suika. Recognizing her strength, she knew, this was far more serious than one could solve just by tackling the problem head-on.

"I'm waiting for the big guy to show up any second now…"

And waited they did.

Something shot out of the clouds below and sprung into the heavens at a staggering speed. It was the Branch Horn dragon.

"Tch…! Not him this time."

Grabbing Tenshi by the wrist, Suika jumped off the landmass and dived downwards, dragging the grouchy celestial along for the ride.

"Whoa hold up! Where are you taking me!?"

"You want to be a part of the coming incident, don't you? Then the ground is where we're headed. We need to be more prepared."

"And just ignore the enemy in front of us right now!? I thought you onis were more honest!" Tenshi felt like she misjudged Suika. Since when was she this docile?

"Heh…not this oni, not entirely at least. I've been humbled pleeen~ty of times in the past. This one isn't any different."

Smirking to herself, they continued to dive-bomb somewhere Suika was leading to. It was in the general field for where the swarm was and not directly above it.

"Well, how are we to do it? Is it ancient magic? A legendary weapon? What's it going to take to fight him?" She questioned Suika on her method to solve this incident.

"Fight him? Who said that?" Suika looked at Tenshi like she grew another head. Fight with just the two of them? She may be an oni who loved the thrill and ecstasy of the battlefield, but she was well aware enough to know her limits.

"Wait, then how come we'll falling towards that spot the dragon popped out of thing then!?" Confusion ran all over Tenshi's face. If the oni wanted to avoid direct confrontation, why walk into the lion's den in the first place?

"For a little research, that's all."

Branch Horn was speeding up above the sky, the air trying to catch up to its speed. Leaving Heaven already and entering Gensokyo, the moment of impact for the two is imminent.

The wind picked up out of nowhere and enveloped Branch Horn like a membrane all over its body. Layers and layers of sonic booms centered in front of its face.

Tenshi being the cavalier she is had other plans in store.

"If it's research you want then what better chance to do it than in battle!?"

She swatted away Suika's hand off her and swiped the sword around herself. She slowed her descent and beckoned for the dragon to near towards her direction.

(Idiot…! That one can't be defeated in the sky! Weather and earth won't have any effect! It's the most horrible matchup for her!)

Continuing her descent uninterrupted, the oni could only look back at the dragon brushing by her.

The celestial positioned herself right inside the path of the dragon. She swung her sword down at the head of the dragon when it approached her, feeling confident that her sword can take in the spirit belonging to the dragon and transform it into the dragon's responding weakness. The sky and weather were aiding the power behind the Sword of Hisou.

_*BANG!*_

Branch Horn didn't miss a step as it rammed right on her sword and overpowered it and her. Her sword failed to gather the spirit of the dragon and its weakness. No, it did gather its spirit but failed to translate it into the dragon's weakness. It was like an undecipherable code, and the sword which was the translating program just caved in. The surrounding weather aiding the sword also failed to make a difference when dispersing itself in close proximity with the dragon.

Ascending with enormous force, the celestial had her wind knocked out and was promptly blown away to the side. The impact made her eyes dilate as she spat out saliva, falling from grace to her destination, dream world.

Lacking any apparent awareness of the unfortunate individual who blocked its path and crashing into it, Branch Horn continued on its merry way.

The oni caught the celestial and her sword when she fell to her height. Gently handling her body, she floated in place.

(You've still got some learning to do…)

Looking at the Branch Horn's path in the heavens, she saw it flying towards the moon.

The moon.

THE MOON.

**THE MOON.**

(they're dead.)

They're gonna die.

Snickering to herself and grinning with regret from turning away from something that's about to be awesome, she caught a portion of the enormous body of Dragon God in her eye. Him phasing into reality when she wasn't paying attention.

"Wow~, just where did you come from?"

Hiding behind a convenient cloud, she observed from there. A second after, it was gone. In its place was a miniature version of itself staring at a human.

"Hohoho~, so he's the one~."

Gears in her head turned as she concocted her scheme when the sight of that human entered her view.

The dragon enclosed him inside its mouth and promptly vanished.

"Human…you and I are gonna have such a good time together!"

Laying the celestial beside her, she plucked out a gourd from her skirt. Downing in alcohol to celebrate an intoxicating future that's to come in the horizon. She sat down on the cloud, grinning madly in her normal eyes. She had captured the general direction of its path. She planned on forming a bond between her and the human in a very oni way.

* * *

"Is the tea to your liking, Kaguya?"

"Yes, it's well done as usual."

Sitting down on the tatami floors on two opposite sides of a table, a refined duo conversed with one another — a single light hanging from the ceiling between them.

The one asking is Eirin Yagakoro. An intellectual and professional pharmacist at the height of 165cm. Dark gray eyes reinforced her intelligence, topped with long silver hair tied into a large braid behind her back. A nurse's cap designed with an outer space motif, hinting to her origins, and a giant red medical cross in the center. Her clothing article...was unique. Its upper half was colored red on her right and blue to her left, split evenly in the center. The bottom portion was reversed instead, completing her clothes in a checkered pattern. It was also covered in a constellation pattern.

And the one she was speaking to is Kaguya Houraisan. A former princess stopping short under the height of 155cm with dark brown eyes and very long black hair cut smoothly in a hime style cut [5]. Her shirt with many white bows and her long, dark burgundy skirt decorated in yellow with bamboo and flower shapes accented her nobility. Her otherworldly beauty was undeniable, a femme fatale known to send men falling in depravity the moment they saw her.

"And how goes the preparations for this year's Moon festival?"

"The inaba have finished in advance. The dumplings you requested have also been completed."

"Oh, how wonderful." Kaguya beamed with exhilaration. "They're resting themselves inside right? It won't do for them to get wet under this soft rain."

"I made sure in advance to slip in sleeping pills in their food, so they're influenced enough to come back inside after work."

The night of the full moon is approaching. In celebration for it every month, the residents of Eientei pound up medicinal herbs into round mochi to offer them to the moon.

"This marks another successful month as we proceed."

"I'm happy to hear that. Now, where has Reisen run off to?" The princess searched the room for an individual.

"I'm back! And with your requested dumplings too." A new voice had made herself apparent, entering in with a plate of dumplings.

The voice entering the duo's room was the aforementioned Reisen. Reisen Udonge Inaba. A girl with the body and height of a teenager at 160cm. Red eyes that conceal a strange power beneath. Her hair was light purple and long, reaching past her legs. She wears a short-sleeved white shirt tucked in using a red belt. Her light red skirt has white a white horizontal stripe near the edge. A carrot-shaped necktie clip hangs from the red tie. She was definitely not human, the long rumpled rabbit ears standing up straight and clipped on her head with two accouterment-like buttons certainly didn't lend her any credibility together with her large rabbit tail. She is one the legendary moon rabbits after all.

"Thank you, Reisen, you're such a dearest." When Reisen bent down to set the plate of dumplings on the table, Kaguya pinched her cheeks.

Surprised and troubled by the rough handling of her cheeks by the princess, Reisen pleaded her to stop.

"Pweassou~ nwooo~" Mumbled the moon rabbit as she suffered under the hands of the affectionate princess. "Ppwenseess~ lweet ~guooo~!"

"Be gentle with her now Kaguya. I'm going to need her in top condition for her next round dispatching medical care in the Human Village." The pharmacist admonished Kaguya lightly.

"We'll play together another time it is. Make sure to respond when the next time I call for you." Yielding her fingers off Reisen, Kaguya began scooping out dumplings on the plate for consumption.

"Uuuh~" Rubbing her hands on her cheek, they were bright red and swelling.

"Udonge."

"Y-yes, master!" Reisen forced out while she straightened herself for complete attention.

"Go back into the storage department and bring back futons for the rabbits tucked inside," Eirin ordered out while she sipped in some tea.

That's right. The inaba were spread out all over Eintei. Some were being cozy and snoozing off right now inside the room where the trio was at.

"Yes, it will be done." Reisen bowed and made her exit from the room.

With that person gone, the duo on the table passed their time in idle talk.

"It is considerate of you to ask Reisen to prepare bedding for the inaba, but what about me? Have you already forgotten about me recently?" Kaguya giggled as she teased her best friend.

"My, how little of you to think of such from me, your caretaker. I've already prepared your bed myself earlier today." Eirin smiled in amusement from Kaguya's failing attempt at teasing her.

"Hmph." Pouting in response to the jab for doubting her, Kaguya crossed her arm.

It was the usual occasion in Eintei. The two masters of the house ordering their subordinate for their needs and wants. An unchanging, uninterrupted, peaceful lifestyle the residents lived by.

Forever eternal, that was the motif being performed here. This was the established status quo.

Crashing their lovely night supper, the ear-piercing roar reached them as well.

"...!"

"...!"

The light bulb on top shook and ceased activity as its final flicker died out. Fortunately, the dim light of the moon gave the room a slight blue coloring, so their vision wasn't obstructed.

The inaba inside jumped from the loud roar. The medicine's effect was useless as their instincts forced them to huddle together in a corner. The remaining inaba outside marched into the rooms of the house and did the same in every corner. Their eyes terrified to the core and their hair sticking out high on alertment.

Dropping all of their previous laid-back poise, Kaguya stayed rooted and rotated her head to look outside at the round window in the room in a slight sweat. Eirin turned serious as she too looked out into the sky available from her vantage point. She was calculating the trajectory and distance of the source of the loud roar.

(These vibrations...I can't calculate them!? The only thing I know is its general direction Northwest from here, and it belongs to some monster over 10km big! My ears aren't feeling any pressure from the vibrations, and yet my body can't help reclining its activity in sending information to my brain! Nothing about them can be explained scientifically even when using magical formulas!)

Being more knowledgeable than Kaguya, Eirin was breaking into a mad sweat compared to her light dripping. They traveled down her forehead and her clothes hugged slightly tighter on her back.

"Eirin, what can you find about that just now?" Kaguya asked quietly.

"It... might belong to a dragon." Eirin answered slowly.

"A real dragon? No, what do you mean 'might?'" Kaguya's eyes widened from the hesitation coming from Eirin.

"I don't have enough information to formulate a proper response this early (It would be too shameful of me to answer that I don't have any knowledge about this...)." Eirin wore a forced smile to ease her friend.

"Princess Kaguya! Master!" The door was slammed open by Reisen as she returned early. She came back in a mad rush drenched by the rapid rain and standing there in front of the room.

"Cease your unsightly display now, Udonge. You're in front of the princess." Coldly answered Eirin with her eyes sharpened together in a frown, acting far more harshly partly to hide the embarrassment from her inability to gather information earlier.

"Y-yes, my apologies princess Kaguya and master..." Reisen meekly replied from her pathetic display, bowing slightly in shame.

Silence, the trio remained there stuck in their spots, awkwardness pervaded the room. The rabbits in the corner stopped all moving from the coldness permeating in the room.

"N-now wait, Reisen hasn't done anything inexcusable just now. She's just her normal, timid self like always." Kaguya awkwardly laughed away to dissipate the stagnating air.

"You are right Kaguya. It's just Reisen acting like her usual self." Eirin smiled slightly in having the dense atmosphere lifted a little making Reisen visibly relax as well. "Reisen," Jumping in response, "fetch me my airless sonar, will you?"

"I-I'm on it! Excuse me!" And then she dashed away into the storage department.

As she left the room a second time, the duo sighed deeply, calming their nerves. When that wasn't enough they picked up their teacups and tried to sip the tea inside.

They tried that is.

The world became bleak as harmony was disrupted. Armageddon descended upon their room and the stars outside died out. Not a cry was heard when their light was consumed.

Both dropped their teacups, and the contents spilled on the table traveling to the edges.

They sensed it on their skin. They sensed an absolute being high above them. They couldn't even begin to adjust themselves to its sheer depth.

Hands on their lap, mouths open, head tilted down, numb eyes aimed at the surface of the table, and sweating profusely.

They stayed frozen in time like that during and after the darkness was uplifted. The moon's lunar veil gently flowing to their rooms.

No reaction to be observed from the masters of the house and the inaba who fainted long ago. The minutes went by in still silence.

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

"Reisen!?"

"Udonge!?"

A shrill scream entered their ears. Shaken up and unfreezing in time, the two stood up and out the room dashing down the corridor, their goal is the storage room.

When they reached the room, they witnessed Reisen on the floor, grabbing her ears and tucking her legs close to her chest. The moon rabbit trembling like she was at the Arctic continents naked. A pool of tears below her head laying to the side horizontally on the floor with her back facing them.

"Get a hold of yourself, Reisen!" Shouted Eirin. She went down and placated her by placing a hand on one of her shoulders and rubbing it.

"Hic, hic, hic, T-t-the moon rabbits on the moon!" She cried out without turning around. Her voice edging towards the tips of hysteria.

"What!?"

"What!?"

"The moon rabbits! their crying! Their screaming! Their thoughts are entering me! The enemy!"

"An invader on the moon!?"

"Speak more clearly! Who is it!?"

"T-The Watatsuki sisters have f-f-fallen in battle! The Lunar Capital is being invaded!"

* * *

In the quiet of the night, a field of gold is in a peaceful time from the absence of the sun.

Activity here was nonexistent tonight. The fairies and yokai here are placid right now.

The wind was gentle as the flowers swayed softly.

The Garden of the Sun.

A beautiful field of sunflowers located up northwest of the Human Village. The area was cool under the night autumn season.

Sitting in a remote area of the field is a mansion made of wood. Its appearance is polished and refined from the hands of its owner.

The mansion itself had its lighting inside done by a hanging chandelier in the main room on the bottom floor and candles for the hallways and room at night. Shelves were positioned neatly in every room. Flowers are placed in the corners to give life to the rather empty estate. The clean and tidy beds in the guest rooms are untouched. And the wooden windows are shut to prevent the air from entering.

Upstairs on the top floor and in the main room was a mature woman sitting down on a chair drinking a cup of tea on the table.

Her expression was light and harmonious, an appearance entirely in contrast to the public image of hers.

This lady of the mansion was the Flower Master of the Four Seasons, Yuuka Kazami.

Short wavy green hair reached to her shoulders and powerful red eyes. If she were standing, she'd be at the height of 166cm. Her peaceful and mild-mannered body was enhanced by her simple and old-fashioned clothing. Red plaid vest over a white buttoned-down shirt and a red plaid skirt extending below her knees. Her legs are crossed in stockings and her feet covered in red shoes.

(It's been a good, long day...)

She had just come back from the Human Village in a visit to the local florist that's available.

During her visit, she ran into the guardian and history teacher of the village. They shared some small pleasantries, and she was on her way again.

Down the street, a yokai with a unique umbrella popped in front of her path to scare her. Not knowing who she was before, the yokai gave her a stupid face with its tongue sticking out. Yuuka gave her trademark smile in amusement for the yokai's action. The response she received was for the small yokai to run away in fear promptly.

The next person Yuuka ran into was a green-white (and red?) shrine maiden together with the same yokai she saw earlier. Yuuka heard her complaining about her luck not being on the bright side today by ear-shot, so she decided to increase her karma by exterminating some yokai or challenge them to danmaku. Feeling rather interested in the agitated girl and having been a nonparticipant for a long time, Yuuka approached the shrine maiden behind her back and sent a greeting by whispering into her ear. The girl froze and was almost on the verge of pissing herself, promptly backing off in a flash. Being in a jumpy state, she attacked Yuuka without the Spell Card Systems (She didn't have any Spell Cards on hand). Being the victim in this exchange, Yuuka used self-defense by slamming her parasol to the green-white's stomach and sent her flying in the distance.

And the final one today was the doll magician. She was practicing her magic by showcasing them to the children running in the streets with a puppet show. Not having been satisfied with the earlier person, Yuuka approached the magician for danmaku. Accepting the invitation, the new combatants moved outside the village for the duel.

Finishing her visit to the village, she went back home, and on her way back to the estate, she obliterated a few annoying fairies in her path.

(Perhaps I should pay the shrine maiden a visit tomorrow. After that, I could visit that loud magician who stole my Master Spark. Just to see how well adjusted she is in using my spell.)

She lightly smiled at her plans for tomorrow.

(There's also the matter of visiting the sister goddesses over autumn. They're going to sleep soon, so I need to visit them early tomorrow to ask for the area where the autumn flowers will bloom this season)

Continuing to drink her tea, she raised the cup to her lips and took in the pleasant aroma. Everything was perfect tonight.

A beautiful afternoon, a fancy home to return to, and an atmospheric room to pass a wonderful time before bed.

**"HHRAAG-gaAaaAAAaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHK!"**

Eyes wide open and her hand stopped moving with the teacup touching her lips. She removed it from her lips and tilted her head slightly to the only glass window in the room.

Nothing had happened yet other than the giant noise. The view of the window outside was the Forest of Magic. She couldn't pinpoint the origin of the sound, unfortunately (or is that fortunate?).

"My... now, who is it do I have to shut up this time?"

Yuuka's eyes were sharp now with her eyebrows arched. Her current mood plummeted with her quiet time being interrupted.

Nothing had happened afterwards for a few moments.

Then, the rain started to fall all over the field of sunflowers. With the damning splashes of the raindrops on her roof and window, the peace wasn't planning to return soon.

This rain wasn't forecasted to spread into her area. The dragon statue in the Human Village had its eyes glow blue, yes, but the area to be affected only was supposed to be around Yokai Mountain.

The Master of the mansion smiled. Inwardly she wasn't pissed like expected; she was honestly pleased right now.

(Someone is manipulating this rain. With the rain like this, the flowers here will have more than enough nutrition to last the winter even before they get to hibernation.)

She let the noise slide from her mind and went back to drinking tea with the candle illuminating the room on the table.

Bringing out a newspaper she scanned the contents for something interesting. She skimmed around the midsummer section seeing nothing interesting had caught her eyes.

The light outside was snuffed out. Total darkness lied outside, and the atmosphere became cold.

(Oh my... that didn't last long enough.)

She wasn't bothered by the darkness, but she was disappointed the rain had stopped. Shaking her head to wave it off, she continued to spend her time in her own pace.

The lights running in her mansion stayed the same. No disturbances were running amok in the mansion. She can still enjoy the night.

Yuuka inside her room had gone to grab a book to spend away the night in reading.

Planting herself back on to her wooden seat, she opened the book and turned to page-

_*CRASH* *RUMBLE* *BOOM* *BANG* *CRASH*_

When the total darkness outside disappeared, she heard loud crashes outside the door of her room. Wooden planks were either crushed or snapped into bits. The loudest was definitely her distinct chandelier crashing to the floor. That much she grasped.

Getting up from her chair to go downstairs and check to see the intruder in her estate, she opened the door. She stopped short from going any further out of her room. That would happen to anybody when there was a lack of a stable hallway to take a step.

Taking in what she saw, it was the field of sunflowers in her eyes out front. And that was already a sign of worry.

She bent down her head and thought to herself. The view was completely destitute. She saw the rubble of wood and stone on the ground piled together. It was on fire because of the broken chandelier buried under. Smoke rose into the air, ruining the once beautiful scenery.

Half her mansion was destroyed.

No, it can't even be called that anymore. It was a bonfire now.

The plants that were used to live in the rooms are screaming in anguish.

She heard the crackling of fire ringing in her ears and the smell of charcoal and smoke pervading her nose.

More wood fell down into ash much to her chagrin. She was ticked off even more by the rain refusing to put out the flames.

The sunflowers themselves shirked away from the mansion. Not wanting to have anything to do with the possible disaster that could kill them.

Taking in the sight of her former home on the top floor, she could only smile with her eyes closed.

Smiling for her home.

Smiling for the rain getting her hopes up.

Smiling within the burning woods of hellfire in the juxtaposing paradise of yellow.

In short, she was looking pretty demonic right now.

If a person were to see it, they would faint and froth from the sight of the haunting smile belonging to a devilish woman standing on top of a burning pile of rubble and in the shadows behind the smoke.

(Whoever you are... I want your necks to be washed when we meet.)

Such misfortune.

Unbeknowest to Yuuka, the culprit had managed to ram into the mansion without detection of its true body and vanished into the shadows behind the Forest of Magic. One would say that it couldn't be helped. For the culprit lacked eyes and could have destroyed the property without meaning to.

They were half right.

It didn't mean to for it never cared for the destruction it can cause. They were mistaken if this monster wasn't capable of sight despite lacking eyes.

* * *

"So how's our little Sanae doing?"

"She's tucked in right now. She had a rough day and passed out the instant she got in the futon."

"No mercy from the red-white, huh?"

"I hesitate to even call her a shrine maiden anymore..."

"Slow down; she was a shrine maiden?"

A strange duo of a tall woman and a small child were conversing with each other on the rooftops of a shrine like old women who aged like spoiled milk.

(I feel like killing someone just now.)

... The strange duo of a tall woman and a small child were conversing like mature adults. An unlikely image belonging to the small child.

The tall and well-built woman of 170cm consists of dark red eyes and poofy blue hair. Her clothing consists of a redshirt stitched together with white sleeves down to her wrists. On the center of her chest was a round mirror with an unknown purpose. Below her upper body is a long black skirt past her thighs and right on her shins. They were designed quite intricately with red flower prints along the hem. A rope circlet adorned her head with a red leaf tied to the side. And the biggest, most noticeable decoration on her person is a large twisting rope circle of shimenawa [6] with shide [7] right behind her.

The small child with the 142cm body is facing the tall woman with grayish golden eyes and medium length blond hair with two red ribbons tied to both sides. Her attire is a short, simple purplish-blue dress and a skirt having three frog print designs on them, and both features are stitched on top of a large white sleeve shirt and a white collar. Her most unique feature is her hat - a light brown wide-brimmed hat with two frog eyes on the top of the edges. Finishing it off are white knee highs and black shoes.

These women are a pair of goddesses residing in the Moriya Shrine on top of Yokai Mountain.

The Avatar of Mountains and Lakes, Kanako Yasaka. An ambitious goddess who advertises the shrine.

The Highest of Native Gods, Suwako Moriya. A mischievous goddess who provides the shrine's blessings.

The two were taking their time under the moonlight and rain to speak about their own shrine maiden.

"I'm guessing there's more to the story than just that, right? Start from the beginning." Suwako asked.

"Earlier this morning, Sanae went to visit the red-white shrine maiden for pleasantries. One thing led to another she challenged the Hakurei maiden to danmaku. And that was when everything turned for the worse. Both sides were getting ready to duel until-"

Kanako complied and was listing off all the misfortune this Sanae person had experienced today to Suwako.

"-Her manipulation of wind was too excessive, and the red leaves moved to a corner of the shrine forced her back. She tripped down the stairs leading to the shrine which resulted in breaking her gohei [8] and losing her spell cards when a bunch of fairies stole them under her nose. The two were ready to duel until Sanae got blown away from the shrine and into a mud pile. So then Sanae went to the Human Village to find a certain yokai with exceptional blacksmith skills to fix her gohei. By accident, the yokai ran into her and sent her flying right into a tomato cart. She complained soon after and declared her intentions to exterminate yokai. That was when she encountered that Master of the Four Seasons, and by mistake, she attacked without any spell cards on hand. She was sent flying to the Misty Lake and tried to enter the mountain to find that misfortune goddess until a patrolman stopped her. He said she was suspicious considering her skirt was missing when she didn't notice it somehow. With her disheveled hair and wet torn clothes, the patrolman tried to apprehend her, and so she tried to escape from custody. She became headline news soon after that by _that tengu_."

Kanako heaved a heavy sigh in concern for the poor soul. Meanwhile, Suwako could only whistle in amusement from the story.

"That's pretty unfortunate, or should I say, miraculous?" She chuckled from her horrible joke. Kanako felt slightly annoyed by the unsympathetic attitude coming off of the tiny goddess.

"That's pretty low of you, you know." Kanako deadpanned at her. Making sure she received the message correctly.

"Oh lighten up now, will you? Anyways, this might have been because of her miracles in the first place. Using them excessively will bite her back sooner or later." Suwako ignored her warning.

"That's not possible, her powers shouldn't be related to good or bad fortune, but for events with low probability." Kanako denied the horrible events of today to be the fault of Sanae's divine powers.

"Bah, fortune is nothing but probabilities. If there is a probability of something happening, it will happen eventually."

They argued back and forth for what was responsible for these happenings for Sanae until Suwako was reminded of something.

"Say, doesn't this talk of fortune and misfortune remind you of someone?" She started grinning with the thought of something funny. There was a kid who experienced situations similar to Sanae, only on a daily basis in comparison.

"Oh? Why, now that you mentioned it, I do happen to remember someone just now." Kanako was grinning too.

The both of them stood up on the roof and coughed their throats on their fists. They breathed in and tried mimicking a boy's voice.

"The manhole broke apart when I stepped on it! And now I'm covered in sewage in my only set of clothes I brought... such misfortune!"

"What is with the countryside anyway!? Why are there so many thugs after my skin anyway, HUH!?"

"Why is the elevator not working!? Why do I have to miss out on dinner!?"

"If they're the security guards then why are they handcuffing me!?"

"I take one look away, and I get sent down into the lake!"

"If you are a god, then how about a blessing for me so that I can at least have lunch for the entire week!?"

"Frog? Snake? I don't get what you mean. What I do know is that my pants have been stolen!"

"Noooooooooooooooo! Why are you hitting me with your stick!?"

"I take a single step in this shrine, and now I'm under the floor!"

"The wind stole my wallet and passports! And most importantly, my eggs!"

"Ha ha ha ha ha... there is nothing miraculous about this one's misfortune... this one's misfortune is so potent, it can make me fail my class by virtue of my lack of attendance..."

"The apartment I'm staying at caught on fire... and our next residence doesn't have enough room, so I'm supposed to stay out here in this tent..."

"I prefer the ground; thank you very much!"

"Why are the wildlife here chasing me!? What did I ever do to you!?"

"How can I be under house arrest in a tent!?"

The two goddesses howled under the moonlight. Their sides were close to collapsing from reminiscing and acting out fond times when their shrine sheltered a guest staying over for a limited time.

"Pffft-ha ha ha ha! And remember the times he interacted with Sanae?" Kanako spoke in a very breathless voice. She was heaving in her attempts to catch her breath slowly.

The topic slowly switched to a new direction.

"Wait, wait, wait! Follow my lead!" Suwako was in a very similar situation as she continued to destroy her sides recklessly. Coughing in her fist once more, she adjusted her throat to sound out a girl's voice.

"Y-you saw them didn't you!?" Suwako dramatically pointed an accusing finger at Kanako while holding her body. Her acting was rather top-notch despite her size.

Catching the queue, Kanako responds using the boy's voice.

"Oh, your panties? Yeah, I saw them, but I don't mind. I'll soon forget about them for both our sakes." Her mouth was twitching uncontrollably. Her acting was of high quality itself.

"What do you mean I can't do it!? I'm a shrine maiden! The very dream boys always chased after!" Suwako switched to another scene as she played out the actress.

"Haaah? Just because you think you're a shrine maiden you've got the power to control the male populace? Quit dreaming. You don't have the first clue on how to be sexy. Come back once you expose your armpits, then we can talk." Not wanting to be outdone, Kanako turned up the quality by putting her hands to her hips for added effect.

"Um...thanks for saving me from drowning in the lake. But ah...why am I in my pajamas?" Suwako went all meek and embarrassed.

"No problem. Oh, and if you're curious, then yes, I had to strip off your clothing. But don't worry okay, your body didn't excite me one bit, so you don't have to worry abo-gyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!" Kanako placed both hands to her cheeks and twisted her body around with a yell.

The two stopped to catch their breaths. They were panting quite heavily in fact. Smiling at one another, they sat back down.

"Whew, that was a nice change of pace, been a while since I had something that fulfilling," Suwako admitted.

"Yeah... I feel like a youngster again. Ah, youth. You create the most absurd situations." Kanako had calmed down to reflect the joyous mood she was in.

"Yeah, not like you can speak for yourself, heh." Suwako snickered out, but Kanako was sharp enough to have caught it.

"What was that? I'm sorry, I couldn't hear so well from the rotting fish carcass beside me." Kanako did not take the jab from earlier lightly.

"Same, my ears are a bit wet from the bubbling coming from the expired milk brand no one notices." Suwako had started the challenge and wasn't planning on backing down.

"Heh, no wonder. Living for so long has dulled your senses, hasn't it?" Kanako had a very smug expression. She was no longer facing her directly and opted for giving her a sidelong glance.

"Right back at you. Over two millennia and no experience to speak of in the arts of romance. Must be shameful having to act so innocent with those creaking bones." Suwako chose to do the same as Kanako, wearing an equally smug expression.

Sparks are dancing in-between the duo's glares. Their fingers were twitching wildly, and their feet were tapping the ceramic roof tiles producing a rocky noise like a pachinko ball bouncing in a bamboo shoot. The both of them stood right back up.

"I can have any man I want. My purity is unspoiled, and my heart is that of a gentle mother. My body is well-built and exudes the airs of a onee-san! Boys are always flocking towards their big sisters for advice and comfort under our embrace!" Kanako's yelled out in crossed arms.

"Such confidence, but being stubborn on choosing a man will waste your youthful opportunity, and by the time its too late no man will seek the hands of a sour chicken wing. People call those type of women cakes. My body, on the other hand, embodies youth and dreams! A man's heart is incapable of ignoring the sweetness and charm I possess! Men since ancient times preferred a young woman's body full of hope!" Suwako placed a hand to her hips, and the other's fingers were touching her chest.

The staring intensified with the air sizzling under pressure despite the temperature dropping.

"It would seem our argument won't be concluded so easily." Kanako's voice gained a slight edge. She was now glaring at her partner goddess with both eyes in crimson slits belonging to a snake.

"Heh, it's been a while... you want to fight?" Suwako's voice remained soft but had a threatening intention underlining it. Her eyes changed completely into gold with the slits of a frog.

Before the fight could escalate, Kanako held a palm to signal Suwako to cease.

"Danmaku nor our words alone will merit anything concerning this topic. But why don't we use another person to settle the score?" Kanako said.

"Oh? So you want a man to be the judge between us? Well, who is it?" Suwako asked.

"Naturally, this boy is fully capable of judging us. Unfortunately, he's not here in Gensokyo." Kanako admitted.

"The boy? You want to end our argument using the words he used on us, eh? That's... not half bad." Suwako relented to her genius.

"Of course, the terms we each use is strictly the time he spent interacting with our respective selves. And only one." Kanako said to lay out the ground rules.

"The terms are agreeable. I accept these conditions." Suwako agreed instantly, feeling confident of her victory.

The two took a few moments to make themselves prepared in their one, final decision. The rain in the background was ignored the whole time. But it did enhance the atmosphere with the rain dripping down their bodies in epic proportions.

Time dilated from the illusion of raindrops being stationary in the air and their shapes perfectly visible.

Sizing up one another, they glared in bated breaths for the signal. Their pride as women on the line.

_*KRAKOOOM*_

A lightning bolt dropped off in the background, and all hell was loose.

"That moment I had offered to shelter him at our shrine, he took my hands into his on one knee and declared me to match his perfect type! A dorm manager onee-san! My character is sought out by men in the world! An undeveloped body like yours has no hope of attracting men or being anywhere near acceptable within society!" Kanako voice was booming with determination, thoroughly convinced that she was the ideal women. Her crossed arms gave her the image of a charismatic general.

"Hah! That only proves my point. You can be satisfied alone by the slightest touch of your fingers connecting. But that isn't enough. That was the last time he ever touched you. Did anything progress any further beyond that? If you really were his ideal type, then why didn't he bother to push forward? Who cares about what society believes in? Why must it restrain the romance burning in men!? I, on the other hand, knew of his true nature. He may seem like the type of boy to prefer girls older than him, but his heart seeks the finest grade in girls like me. I can still feel his handprint on my butt!" Suwako finished without shame nor hesitation. As an added measure, she puffed up her nonexistent chest.

"He was disciplining you!"

"He was pitying you!"

"You were a mischievous brat!"

"And you were just hopeless!"

"He called me a spring maiden!"

"He spanked me!"

**"HHRAAG-gaAaaAAAaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHK!"**

The sovereign had descended, covered in the clouds above and the rain welcomed him. Albeit poorly since none could see him.

The heated debate ended unceremoniously when the two's faces have been really close together turned to the source.

"SHUT THE HELL UP!"

"SHUT THE HELL UP!"

Their hotheaded interaction just now left their minds occupied. They were too slow to feel proper emotion the instant that roar was let out.

Their heads were cleared out by the change in the weather instead. The drizzle became a flood. Backing off from each other, they took to the skies from the top of the mountain to reach an almost equal elevation with the mysterious shadow behind the heavens and peered inside.

"What the..."

"Hell..."

Suwako muttered, and Kanako finished for her. Their minds blanked out when they had taken in the sight above.

As gods, they can be in tune with nature. Kanako being a goddess of rain, wind, and mountains could tell distinctively that the cloud and rain above were unnatural. Suwako was a native god making it possible for her to sense the trace amount of spirit belonging to the entity within.

"That thing... it doesn't conform to nature, nature is conforming to it! It's not something part of the natural order!" Suwako shouted, wearing an incredulous face.

Reality couldn't stabilize itself or reach a conclusion to what the hell the entity was.

Kanako shook her head and stayed silent to prove a suspicion she had. She realized soon after something very much more monstrous and frightening.

"Look closely, it's not just one, but eight of them!" She revealed the ghastly truth with the point of her finger tracing the shadows of eight individuals.

Paling at the abominable forces slithering in the clouds, the two stayed put in the air and allowed for the wind and rain to sail across their bodies.

If that wasn't enough, two more bodies manifested out of nowhere and joined the circle of abominations.

Sweat mixed in with the rain on their bodies. Grim faces were made at the possibility of those ten monsters being aggressive. That itself was a high tell to their apprehension of the beasts and the possible threats they pose.

They were goddesses who lived for over two thousand years and engaged in war against each other. They experienced far more difficulties in life than a regular person; they were of the divine, a class beyond ordinary humanity. They carried wisdom in their respective adventures through life.

But something like this escaped their scope of understanding.

Gensokyo itself has its share of strange beings inhabiting paradise. They ranged from supernatural yokai who wield bizarre powers, fairies who won't die as long as nature existed, phantoms interacting with the dead, immortals and many, many more to list.

But the cold atmosphere shifting from their eeriness alone simply dwarfed everything that was living here. And the fight hadn't even started yet.

All but one of them sped off into different directions leaving the two goddesses to react involuntarily by tensing their muscles to respond to any form of attacks.

Nothing happened for a while with the storm remaining steady. The one monster staying behind hasn't left its hiding spot.

Static noise filled their ears the moment a curtain of darkness enclosed the whole of Gensokyo. The light of the moon failed to pierce this darkness.

Their breaths were caught in their throats. Inhaling a sharp amount of air to their nostrils, they studied the vast body above.

Suwako summoned iron rings to her hand, and Kanako summoned her Onbashira. Wooden pillars with circlets of shimenawa tied to them.

They planned on engaging the giant malice on top using Spell Card rules. If it didn't accept the rules of the land, then they'll die fighting with their actual abilities.

Luck was looking up to them when the dark body dissipated. No explanation to say why it appeared and disappeared as quickly. Like an illusion meant to be forgotten. They didn't even sense a tangible form despite the rain flowing down its body.

The worries didn't end with just that; there was still the monster no longer hidden in the shadows. And when they saw it, they shook.

The monstrosity was a dragon.

Pausing in awe from the majestic creature, the weapons on their hands dropped.

"Seriously...a dragon of that size?" Kanako couldn't believe it the moment the words left her mouth softly.

"Could this be the rumored Dragon God of Gensokyo?" Suwako gave out the thought she had on the surface of her mind.

Staring hard, the two noticed its attention on something, but they were prevented from viewing it with a portion of its body in the way.

After the few precious seconds of staring at it, the dragon brought its jaw down onto something and flashed out of existence.

Silence returned to the both of them as they contemplated what they just witnessed. What is the purpose for Dragon God appearing today? Does it have to do with that something it just ate? And other such questions fluctuated in their minds.

"Heh, I didn't expect a prime opportunity like this could show up in front of me." The tall one broke the silence with the tips of her mouth curling upwards.

"Opportunity? Have you finally gone senile? That is a dragon we're dealing with here. And you want to advertise our merchandise to it?" The tiny one sent a surprised look at her business partner.

"Of course. Think about it, who really rules Gensokyo? Is it the Hakurei shrine maiden that enforces the laws of this land? Is it the sages who maintains the status quo behind the backstage? Or is it one of the religions in competition for procuring faith within the human village? Is it the Buddhist who proclaims equality between Yokai and Humans? The laid-back Taoist who rivals her in convincing humans to submit to her? Or us, the gods who try to modernize Gensokyo? Gensokyo may be peaceful on the surface, but with a single move, it will crumble, and order will be overturned by an instant. And the Dragon God has immense influence with its name and presence alone. Nobody in Gensokyo can ignore it. He is the hidden player that can affect everything on the board with each move he makes. I ask you, who can stop him?" Kanako finished her explanation, imploring Suwako to try and answer her questions.

And the answer she received back was silence. Taking this as confirmation for to continue, Kanako resumed illustrating her point.

"For over a century, people have been worshipping this god with just creating Gensokyo alone. I don't need to illustrate what kind of power he possesses if he can command _nine _other dragons in a legion. Forgetting about that... _thing_, what _is_ he doing in Gensokyo in the first place? He's the one who created it, so there isn't anything important here in the first place to him. What can we offer him that isn't so infantile to him? The purpose he created Gensokyo for has always been a mystery. I'll tell you the reason. Gensokyo was meant to cultivate something important to him." Kanako explained with a heavy voice full of gravity. Her theory being put into play.

"And you want to find this something before he does? No, since when were you a fan of conspiracy theories? Do you smoke?" Suwako said with a doubtful tone. Her skeptical face was appropriate for the nonsense Kanako tried to make.

Kanako wasn't discouraged by it, shaking her head lightly. She continued.

"What I mean is, why don't we help him find this something? It's not like the rest of Gensokyo is important to him. Look, the nine dragons that flew off could be in search for that it. If we can get into his good graces, then our Moriya Shrine will advance into a new era together with Dragon God." Kanako had laid out her true goal to Suwako. "Gensokyo is about to change for good, and we must be a part of the group who survives to see it."

"So our new home we moved to must be given back to its owner?" Suwako asked in hesitation.

She found Kanako's explanation to be sound, but there was a complicated feeling inside her.

"Why not? We were unknowingly living on his grounds without paying rent. Who could blame him? What can we do about it?" Kanako said.

She could see the point Suwako was trying to make, but there was nothing in their power to oppose the Highest God of Gensokyo.

"We have the Spell Card System that allows the weak to play on equal grounds with the strong and have a chance to win." Suwako reminded her.

Kanako could only scoff at the naivety Suwako was displaying. "So you want to leave this up to the Hakurei Shrine Maiden again? I thought you didn't believe we had one. This incident is unlike anything that has happened before. He could very well have complete control of the Hakurei Barrier for all we know."

"I know that, but... must we comply with his rule when this is our last home? If what you say is true, then Gensokyo will have no more purpose to him, and he might take it down. There's no saying he is a true ally of Gensokyo."

Their argument was cut short by a new, younger voice yelling at them.

"HEY! WHAT HAPPENED JUST NOW!? ARE YOU TWO ARGUING AGAIN!?"

The two turned their heads back down and saw a young girl waving at them by the entrance of the Moriya Shrine.

"Oh shit! I forgot about Sanae!" Kanako said aloud. She flew down towards Sanae before stopping and turning her head around to glance at Suwako.

"Well don't let me stop you, go ahead and attend to the kid, that's more important than what we're having." Suwako told her to do the responsible thing.

"We're not finished here. We can continue this tomorrow." Kanako nodded at her words and parted her last for today.

Leaving with that, Kanako was no longer in the air, and now Suwako was by herself in thought.

"Sigh... I'm too old for this." That was all she could say.

Looking back at the horizon of the night growing old with the rain returning a lighter beat than before, she wasn't looking forward to tomorrow morning.

"...? What's that now?" She muttered with a strange item in her eye.

A white folded piece of paper flew right in front of her. She grasped it in her hand and inspected it.

"A shikigami?" [9]

* * *

[1]: A concept of Buddhism that was conflated into Shinto religion. They are realms where the impurities of Shintoism do not exist. In the Touhou setting, Pure Lands do not have a concept of time so seasons are unnecessary and there is no day cycle.

[2]: White pieces of triangular cloth or paper worn on the head of yūrei - analogous to ghosts in Japanese mythology.

[3]: One of the traditional ways of sitting in Japanese culture. The form is kneeling on the floor with the legs folded underneath the thighs with the buttocks placed on the heels.

[4]: A traditionally 30 to 60cm blade worn together with a katana. An official sign of a full-fledged samurai.

[5]: A princess hairstyle that's common in anime.

[6]: Strands of rice straw rope used for purification rituals in Shinto. It's believed that something adorned or surrounded by shimenawa to be a sacred location or item.

[7]: White, zig-zag shaped paper streamers used for decoration on shimenawa.

[8]: A stick used by shrine maidens that are elaborately decorated with folded paper.

[9]: Shikigamis are summoned spirits utilized by practitioners for onmyouji - Japanese sorcery. They are analogous to a witch's familiar and are most commonly seen as folded origami.

**A/N: I was really deliberating on whether or not I want to incorporate the Moriya gang together with a backstory involving Touma. I had a different backstory planned for Touma to be involved with and they were related to the first. I'll give you a not so subtle hint and potential spoiler; it involves an important deity enshrined in Izumo that's related to Kanako.**

**Please call out any grammar errors in my fic. They are very much appreciated.**


	3. Arrival III

**A/N: Hello everybody, again. Today I have the next chapter prologue for you.**

**Review responses:**

**Masterx01: The Kami-yan disease has already infected Gensokyo; there is no possible cure. Not even Eirin can concoct one even with her vast knowledge. As for Imagine Breaker and its effect on fortune, taking what Index said from OT1, Imagine Breaker negates the red strings of fate just by contact with the air alone. Who knows what could really be affecting Sanae's lousy luck.**

**WiliamZ0: Thank you for putting the time to review! The timeline is subject to change since nothing significant has been played to warrant its use. But some elements and events have passed in Toaru that I want to use further down as a backdrop and world building. Otherwise, yeah, it can be dropped entirely when I need more days for Touma to be in Gensokyo. There will be major changes from how events were perceived during that time than in canon. Kasen herself will play a key role somewhere down the line, as a-you-know-what. The damages caused by the dragons... ouch, they might not stop so soon after this. For Blind Dragon, yeah, I hesitate to make some sort of defined personality of his this soon so I changed that up. And as for Morichika, he has a lot of mystery behind him and I've gone over the details and fabrications to making a backstory for him to reveal at some point or gradually do so.**

**elenwescott123: Now wouldn't that be something worth exploring.**

**Masterx01: This is the first time I've heard of Imagine Breaker doing that kind of thing. I must have skimmed it somewhere in my reading.**

**Disclaimer: To Aru Majutsu No Index belongs to Kazuma Kamachi, and Touhou Project belongs to ZUN. I don't own either of these properties.**

**Arriving in Gensokyo with a BANG III**

* * *

This person could not think or feel.

She cannot nor can be observed in return.

Outcasted and subjected to a life of the hated, this person had closed their heart from reality.

The possibility of a person remembering her face or existence was nigh impossible unless one knew of her beforehand.

She was the little rock on the side of the asphalt, the minute instant no one gave thought to.

She denied all hatred and rejection that was directed to her, but in return was prohibited from receiving love and affection.

Is it not a tragedy?

Even if such a problem was a commonality that occurred everywhere across the world, the bitterness and hardship did not lessen.

However, even that feeling of sadness and heartache was forbidden to her.

She was walking, not by some rational or by a simple thought process, she just was. She had no destination in mind, freely allowing her subconscious to do the job for her.

Unknown to the world and unaware of it in response.

She was drenched under the chill of the rain. Despite it being night, the ideal time of day for activity, no youkai wanted to be out in the rain.

There was no acknowledgment of the rain on her face. Continuing the aimless trek under the oppressing clouds above, she left the foot of Yokai Mountain.

The rattling of rain pounding the earth and trees were blaring and an annoyance. The wet air and chilling temperature were unbearable.

The girl's subconscious told her to return home, to the land of the hated. It was past her curfew, after all.

This was a lasting impression of hers from before, a remnant attachment during the time she could feel. But she ignored it for tonight. It was what her subconscious wanted.

**"HHRAAG-gaAaaAAAaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHK!"**

The roar of an almighty beast in the heavens resounded out. The rain obeying it had furthered its efforts to drown the earth.

Youkai all over the nearby forests and trees jumped. They scrambled in turmoil; the earth-piercing sound surprised them that their thoughts wouldn't obey their commands. Blood pressure hastened, eyes wide, and skin crawled. They had no clue on how to react with the might of the enigmatic owner of this roar.

To the small girl, it was another sound produced by an animal, so it was of no importance to-

(-!)

The vibrations of this roar shook her subconscious.

How? Can it affect both the conscious and subconscious?

A feeling pricked inside her heart, one that she couldn't remember nor wish to.

No.

No, no, no!

This couldn't be allowed!

But her body was affected just like the rest of everyone in the vicinity. Her subconscious was vibrating madly; it didn't have a response to brush off the unsettling invasion of a foreign element distorting that very subconscious.

Glancing up to view the torrential sky in the midst of a freezing atmosphere, she saw a glimpse of madness. Several shadows semi-hidden in the clouds. There was one in particular to her that seemed to stare at her.

Its singular eye petrified her. Rooted on the spot and involuntarily shuddering from being forced to stare into its opaque eye.

She could do nothing but stare with a spacey face at the cobra-like-serpent whose total body was still behind the clouds.

The shadows dispersed into nowhere and the one with a single eye removed its hold on her. She knew nothing of what the reasoning was behind it, nor did she had any desire to know.

*KSSSSSSSSH-!*

A giant shadow encased the whole of Gensokyo; its size threatened to dismantle it by a slight movement.

There were no stars in the sky. Gensokyo was utterly removed from the world in every sense right now.

When the girl scrutinized the body from her vantage point, she found nothing, not an outline of where the body begins. Where were its edges?

Dissipating and dispersing out of thin air, the colossus was nowhere in sight. How did a giant of that magnitude appear and disappear in such a short time interval was incomprehensible to the mind.

There it was, her subconscious had free reign again. It told her to look back into the sky to see one more anomaly, just in time too to witness a humanoid figure and dragon facing each other.

Her body moved on its own again. It wanted to go near the humanoid for some inane reason. It could feel it; it had an unconscious mind she could interact with unlike the rest of the anomalies in the sky earlier. It desired knowledge to be found inside that humanoid.

Not a moment too soon, the dragon clasped the humanoid in its mouth and flew off to somewhere in Gensokyo. And for her, she could trace the position of the humanoid it carried. The imprint of it was vague and incomplete to her considering there wasn't enough time to examine it but caught the general feedback she received to track down that unconscious mind down.

And off she goes once more. The body taking her somewhere to someone who was at the center of it all.

* * *

"And that checks off chapter twelve." A mysterious voice pronounced to no one in a dim-lighted room.

The room was mostly empty but was spruced up charmingly with its homely environment. An office desk and a few bookshelves provided some identity with a lit lantern provided the barest minimum of illumination inside the room on the desk.

The individual seated next to the desk is a reclusive woman, pen in hand and wearing glasses.

"Yosh, if I keep up the pace, I might finish up to chapter fifteen." The tidy woman said, stretching her arms behind her head.

The reticent woman with the body of a young teen in 148cm is Satori Komejii. The most glaring feature on her body is a red eye linked to red string-like cord appendages connected to yellow heart accessories running to her wrist and black headband. Messy, short pink hair that hadn't been cleaned for days spoke of her personal hygiene. A blue shirt that's sloppily put together with yellow buttons, a pink collar, a pink skirt with a flowery pattern plus pink slippers made up her whole person.

It was her break time after another long day of work maintaining the Hell of Blazing Fire. It was a simple hobby she enjoyed in handwriting novels under an unknown pen name.

"After this, I have to put out dinner and finish all the accounting. Ugh, so annoying." She complained, rubbing her head and nose.

Her pets were under break as well and waited patiently for dinner to come.

Picking up the lantern, she forced herself up and walked out the door to the hallways leading to the kitchen. The interior architecture was well orientated but barren for the most part consisting of marbled walls and chequered floors with stained glass on the floors and walls on certain hallways to view the outside.

"Let's see... for Okuu; I got some eggs in stock. There's leftover rockfish for Orin. For the shoebill and everybody else... eh, eggs will suffice too." She listed off during her stroll down the lonely halls in a laid-back manner.

"HEEEEYAAAA~!"

A loud voice came from behind the double door in front of her. The double door was blown away, kicking up dust from the entrance. Shielding her eyes, she considered the boisterous voice in front of her, covered by the dust.

"What are you doing trespassing into my home, oni? No wait, I can just hear it from your mind." Satori grumbled, dusting off the dust on her person and checking her lantern for functionality.

"It's not trespassing if I was invited." The mysterious voice corrected, grinning without a hint of losing her rambunctious spirit.

"Orin..." Satori murmured faintly, pinching her forehead in annoyance. "Whatever, just pay upfront for your vandalism then."

"O~kay! It'll be two jars of sake from my dish." The voice chuckled, waving two fingers in front of her. Deciding on her own punishment, she ignored the exasperation coming from the tiny girl in front of her.

"Sigh... I don't want your alcohol. Answer my question, Yuugi." Satori grudgingly huffed, bringing back the real subject.

The mysterious voice belonged to a very tall woman with a body that radiated power who eclipsed Satori comically at the height of 175cm. Long, straight long blond hair to her back, red eyes that gave off a wild desire to party, and a single, menacing red horn on her forehead completed her head. Her taste in attire... was unique. Her white short-sleeved shirt that had red trims on the cuffs, necks, and bottom looked very much like a gym uniform. But the strangest article on her had to be the dark blue skirt with red highlights and trim that was also semi-transparent. If all of that wasn't enough to inspire a delinquent image, then the manacles with short chains that were attached to the wrists and ankles will. She came in, walking in common wooden getas [1].

Yuugi Hoshiguma, a residential oni of Former Hell who's constantly in a partying mood for companionship; her boisterous mood carried on with a sake dish extended forward to Satori.

"I came here to finally invite you and the animals to one of the festivals being held in town! Because-"

"-I'm always stuck here drying up in isolation and smelling like wet seaweed. And no, I will not be attending. Do not come near me when you stink of foul booze. The smell will deteriorate my brain, and my eyes will droop from your lack of delicacy." Satori interjected her sentence with a no-nonsense tone and sneer.

"Shee~sh! How stuck-up do you have to be sitting in here all year without the toxication and rapture of good booze? No wonder you have no taste looking freaky with the eyebags and no smile." The oni lightly mocked her, her grin staying in place.

"If you're done, then get out of my house. I have to feed my pets and myself." Satori dismissed her with a wave to leave the mansion

"Oh come on! Don't be such a grouch and let loose once in a while!" Yuugi insisted, taking the rejection from Satori in strides.

"Sigh... move out of the way, please. I have to go." Moving to the side of Yuugi, Satori went on to the main hall and down the stairs. "Why are you following me?"

Just like she said, Yuugi is walking alongside her with the chains clanking on the marble floor. "Look, I thought it would be nice for you to wind down considering you work all day. Join me for a drink sometimes, the hangover might help you sleep better." She remarked in a friendly voice. Her intentions to loosen up Satori comfortably enough to attempt another invitation was obvious.

"That's not how hangovers work..." The little girl finished in light irritation. She wasn't angry with Yuugi as much as before, having been calmed down. Not feeling up for debating further, she allowed Yuugi to accompany her.

The rest of the way was taken in silence. Reaching the kitchen, Satori took off the glasses and picked up a pan over the stove. The oni had offered to help with the dishes, giving the girl something to be surprised about.

"You can cook?" Satori blurted out a lot more loudly then she intended from learning that Yuugi was capable of cooking. THE Yuugi.

"Of course I can. I enjoy a good dish alongside my booze all the time, and let me tell you, eggs alone aren't going to fill anyone's stomach for dinner." Yuugi chided Satori for the meager selection of dishes to work with. "Where do you keep your stock? Show them to me."

Satori then led her to where she keeps the fresh ingredients stored. After much deliberation, Yuugi decided they were to have chawanmushi for the pets and for Satori it was tonkatsu.

After making her decision, she set down her sake dish on a nearby counter and inspected one of Satori's knives. "It's decent." She appraised it without further thought spent into it. They spent the time working on and finally produced something decent for the residents in the mansion. Placing them on the plates, the two walked out the kitchen.

"Thanks for the help." Satori commented. Looking at Yuugi with some appreciation.

"No problem." Accepting her gratitude, the two walked down to the zoo where the pets are kept. The two set down the plates and stuck around, playing with the animals. Satori being pounced by a tiger, dogs, and some parrots. Yuugi was bending down to pet some animals, noticing one staring at her.

"That's a shoebill duck. Don't worry about its stare, it's not gonna bite." Satori answered with a tease, having read her mind.

"Huh, well alright then. So what's been going on with you today?" Yuugi changed the subject, trying to stir a conversation to keep down the light annoyance prior to having her thoughts spoken out loud.

"The usual. Okuu has been maintaining the Blazing fires by keeping the temperatures cooled so the mansion has electricity. Orin was out collecting corpses and I'm stuck in here managing everyone else's work." Satori replied back plainly, accounting for how her days work.

Humming in response, Yuugi continued to pet the animals crowding them. "Must be a bit lonely despite having pets, you don't get a-"

"Hardly, pets are a far more sophisticated choice for companions. They don't lie to themselves and are completely open with their desires. That's why they're easy to get along with, unlike those with too much intelligence." Satori fired back with complete certainty. "What need is there for me to go outside the mansion other than the parties held at the Hakurei Shrine? Isn't that enough?"

Feeling a bit miffed by the Satori's interruption Yuugi didn't answer right away. "It's just good once in a while to go outside for the sake of it." The oni finally advised her in a lame voice.

"In other words, you don't have any arguments." Satori revealed while Yuugi rubbed the back of her head sheepishly. "Sigh... though I guess being stuck in this dingy mansion is going to affect my health."

"Really!? Alright! A new drinking partner for me tonight!" Yuugi cried out with a cheer.

"Who said I would ever be an oni's drinking partner?" The short girl could only shake her head in amusement by the oni's excitement, taking a bite out of her tonkatsu. Yuugi fumed silently as her cheeriness fell quietly.

**"HHRAAG-gaAaaAAAaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHK!"**

The advent of the Almighty silenced the room. Satori dropped her plate involuntarily with the pets rushing to her to huddle up. Yuugi, however, stayed still in surprise.

"Couldn't be..."

Nothing had happened for a while. Yuugi slowly stood up and walked up to the door. Satori ordered the pets off her and reached up to Yuugi to stop her.

"Woah hold on, where do you plan to go?"

"To the world upstairs. Don't tell me... you got scared and want to stick around with me now?" Yuugi shot a cheeky grin at the small one. Satori eyed her with suspicion and a huff.

"After all these years, you want to go back to the surface? I thought you made a pact to never interfere with the world above, save for the parties at the Hakurei Shrine." Satori eyed the oni with suspicion. What was going on that warranted her to forego promises and return to those uneventful days above that made her come here in the first place?

"... In that case, you can just get it from my mind then as we walk." Sullenly waving off her revealed intentions to break promises, the oni told her with a step out and down the hall with stained glass windows — Satori following an eye on her and looking into her mind for answers.

"A dragon!? Could it be Dragon God!?" Satori cried out in shock.

"Hmm... it's definitely a dragon's voice... but Dragon God's? Probably not considering nobody knows what he looks like." Yuugi trailed off with a hand on her chin, her pace staying the same.

"And you want to fight him!?" Shouting at her, Satori could only gawk at the sheer level of stupidity she was oozing.

"Not him exactly. One of his lackeys. Specifically, another dragon with a spearhead." she corrected her intentions to Satori.

"That still isn't enough for you to go against what you live by. An oni prides herself with staying steadfast and faithful to their unbroken promises. You disappoint every oni elsewhere." Satori mercilessly criticized Yuugi. Dragon or not, she wouldn't overlook the oni's oversight just because of special circumstances.

Yuugi didn't have anything to say to that. "Geh... you're right, it would be more convenient if he-"

"If he shows up here because you jinxed it, I will torment you within your traumas. That I promise you." Satori's spoke darkly in a sharp voice and narrowed eyes. Then Yuugi stopped in place, having Satori crashing onto her back.

"Hey! what gives!?" Satori exclaimed with irritation.

"Look." Yuugi turned around and showed Satori a white origami paper. "It's a shikigami."

"A shikigami? How did it find itself here?"

"Its owner must have sent it for a message."

"Give it to me." And Yuugi handed it over to her. Reading it, Satori had a quizzical face. "Emergency meetup at the Hakurei Shrine, RIGHT NOW?"

However, the two didn't have time to contemplate who or why they sent this shikigami. Yuugi instinctively sensed something; an old feeling resurfaced to her body. Her eyes sharpened with crimson slits and she turned her head halfway to the window.

"Don't move a muscle, and don't turn your back to the window." Yuugi's commanded with a heavy voice so deadly serious; the temperature dropped astronomically. Satori looked perplexed and did what she was told. "It's rude to not hand out a greeting face to face, you know."

Satori became even more confused when there were only two of them inside the halls. Who was she directing those words to?

An unseen force fired out of nowhere. The stained glass beside them was broken into pieces, flying down on the floor. They turned slightly to glance outside at the corner of their eyes.

What greeted them was a head having a giant spear protruding from its forehead. It's completely white, and pupiless eyes surveyed them, lowly growling at them.

Satori's breath hitched while Yuugi stared down the dragon. The atmosphere turned deadly, and the small one paled while the tall one measured the intruder.

"Satori, back away slowly and get your pets outta here, right now. And remember, DO NOT expose your back to him!" Yuugi roared out to Satori, shaking her out of her brief stupor.

Complying readily, she backed away in small steps while keeping her eyes locked on the Spear Head. The Spear Head having not once acknowledging her. The only thing left in her mind was how she couldn't detect the dragon despite having the power to read minds.

"Once this is over, I will uproot that horn out of that head of yours Yuugi!"

Having finished her last words, Satori backed away entirely in the dark.

Once Yuugi made sure Satori was out of the hall, she brought her sake dish to her mouth and downed on it. Gulping sounds echoed in the halls. There were no interruptions coming from the dragon.

"Puha~, thanks for the wait."

Yuugi wiped her mouth with an arm and threw her empty sake dish to the side. She cracked her knuckles and neck with veins pulsing from her arms and face.

**"**qqqs**IT'S**all**BEEN**afssa**AWHILE**Iwev**ONI**qlsaas**"**

The first conflict echoed out in the halls of the Palace of the Earth Spirits. Sonic booms traveled in and out of the building. The floors were shaken and leveled down by the collision of the Wise and a gleeful oni. Nobody in Former Hell slept that night.

* * *

The girl with no mind had traveled quite far into an area of red. The rain being a bit lighter than before.

Earlier she had witnessed the moon turning blue, another mystery being attributed since the dragons arrived.

The mice around here were in search of something. They marched in the same direction Koishi was, so she followed behind them.

Rubble and weird, broken machinery and items covered a field deeper inside the redwoods. There was junk everywhere you looked and no greenery to be found under this junkyard.

While the mice worked hard to scavenge the junk laying on the ground, she pinpointed the unfamiliar subconscious she printed. It was hiding under a refrigerator and some microwaves.

Skipping to it, she ignored the mice crawling everywhere, closing the gap between her and the mysterious figure.

...

She halted her steps out of instinct, and so has the mice.

...

Her body floating for itself by raw instinct, she lay hidden behind a tree apprehensive and shivering with a tremble.

...

She didn't dare to poke her head and take a peek right now.

...

The atmosphere turned stifling, suffocating, and still.

...

A crawling terror was awakened from a slumber as the night croaked and silenced without so much a whimper.

...

An overwhelming and overpowering presence flared her senses into overdrive.

...

There was something right next to the thing she was looking for. Its aura to alien to make heads or tails out of it.

...

It frightened her, knowing that if she were to peer into its subconscious if it had one, she would break.

...

The malevolent and violent aura wafting off it spelled death with each instant it swells.

...

She heard the mice finally scrambling away into the woods from fear after shuddering away their rigidness.

...

From her blocked view behind the tree, reality itself seemed to bleed as cracks spread throughout the air with iridescence colors beneath them.

...

She watched them severing the air from the corners of her eyes, covering the gaps between the trees and beyond.

...

The network of human arteries stretched like the roots of Pando, pulsating in an appalling rhythm.

...

They closed in on the trunks of the trees in an almost perceptively tender hug.

...

Her body crouched down on the solid, wet grounds as her hands pulled her hat down vigorously to cover her head.

...

The iridescent human arteries inflated into plumes of obsidian with bubbles foaming out into the air.

...

The environment surrounding those plumes were more sinister than the colors of fresh blood intersected each other.

...

Bubbles in the air shaped and morphed into polygons, some smaller than an atom to ones larger than her.

...

With a creak, the trees were gouged out and severed from their trunks by the cracks.

...

Whatever happened to the head of those trees could not be spoken lightly.

...

Every tree in a certain radius was without certainty executed to oblivion with their heads lopped off.

...

Not having enough, the cracks elongated once more with her pale body tensing as her pupils swerved and bounced all across her eyes in a blur.

...

Her death will be guaranteed once the veins of obsidian reach her.

...

...

...

"...I know you're agitated because of what that angel did to you, but you need to stop. _There's no one here, so back off_."

She heard a masculine voice under that thing, and a new, extreme power came out of nowhere who opened its jaw and chewed on the thing she had yet to witness.

What was that thing?

Who did that voice belong to?

And that power that came afterward.

There were so many unanswered questions since the dragons appeared over the sky. It was mind-boggling such a terror was chained to a leash and followed the orders of whoever that brave man belonged to.

The masculine voice struggled and lifted the refrigerator on him. He was finally freed and dusted himself of rust, dirt, and water. The first thing she noticed was the spiky black hair and strange clothing the boy had.

"Ugh, where am I? Aiwass told me he flung me into a Fantasy Land, but there's nothing fantastic about this place." He said, surveying his surroundings to find nothing but modern junk on where he stood. "I'm more fantastic than this."

The boy continued to move around his area, looking over it in the rain.

"Now that's a nice massage chair... no wait, where are my shoes!?" He yelled out in a hurry, digging a nearby pile in a search for his shoes.

Thinking it was finally a good time to approach, she uprighted herself, turned herself invisible from the eyes of others and their consciousness to take a step away from the tree.

The moment she landed her step on the ground-

"Who's there!?" The boy shouted, snapping his eyes right where she is.

'That's impossible' she would've thought.

'How can he see me' is what she would say.

She tilted left to right, and the boy's eyes never left from where her body should be. It didn't seem like he could really see her unless she allowed it. He can most definitely sense her position and movements, though.

The boy felt creeped out and took a small step backward. It unnerved him, the presence of something he couldn't see. The rain smacking on his hoodie and hair with the smell of rust and metal in the dampness.

"Ah, there you are." A new voice spoke up right behind the boy, and with a U-turn, he faced it. The voice belonged to a giant of a man wearing a rain cloak.

From her position, she couldn't hear them very well. It wouldn't do to reveal her existence to the boy so soon.

Not until they were alone.

She brought her hands to her cheeks and felt the giant grin plastered on her face.

The boy was very interesting. Every few moments, he would turn his head sideways to glance at where she stood. She couldn't keep her eyes off him now, being drawn more and more into him with the more mysteries surrounding him.

He looked at her one more time before walking off together with the giant man to somewhere. Naturally, she followed them. There was no way something this interesting could ever escape her.

* * *

Extreme blows sounded out in the halls of the Palace of the Earth Spirits.

The battle arena with no breaks was in jeopardy of collapsing without any objection from the master. Everywhere they exchanged blows; property was destroyed.

Yuugi had embattled herself with marble pillars thirty meters long in each of her hands. Falling and skidding to a halt, she eyed the dust clouds in front of her where a former wall used to be.

Out came a pristine dragon with a most magnificent spear looming across the room.

She gripped her choice of weaponry, making cracks from where her fingers are. Huffing out smoke from her mouth, she tensed her muscles, pulsing with visible veins running across her arms and thighs.

Kicking the floor and bursting forth, she closed the distance and brought down both pillars to Spear Head's horn. And while the force behind her attack was powerful, it was nothing but a bludgeon in the face of a master spearman. Spear Head parried and stabbed the two columns away from him and off her hands.

Not being deterred by this, Yuugi clasped both hands and smashed them down on his head. A loud echo kicked up dust everywhere, and the cracks on the walls and ceilings worsened. Spear Head, however, didn't feel the pressure as he smacked her away using the top of his horn.

Yuugi was sent flying into the ceiling and up to several floors.

Rubble fell on the floor, and Spear Head looked up above the hole to see where she was. What met him was several pillars being thrown at him.

Parrying them again with his head like a rapier, all of them smashed to the floor or sent flying into more walls. Looking back on top, he followed his sight to where Yuugi was plummeting down on the floor, and the Palace shook again as her feet embedded themselves into the marble.

"It's been a while... Wise one." She perked up eagerly, curling her fingers, which put out cracking noises. Her face giddy in excitement with her body emanating bloodlust.

The Spear Head dragon didn't respond, staying silent during their exchanges.

"But damn! It still hurts like hell!" With a grimace, she lifted her shirt above her stomach and saw a tiny hole punctured right through it. It wasn't anything serious, especially to an oni, but how it came to be there without ripping through her clothes was eerie. Taking her hands off her shirt, she eyed the dragon who refused to take the opportunity for an open attack.

That drew a barbaric and savage smile on her lips. Her hair defied gravity as it wafted in the air with flair. Next thing that happened was her head being brought up as far as they can and sending out a hearty laugh.

"AH HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA! OH MAN! THIS IS WHAT I'VE BEEN MISSING FOR SO LONG! SO LET ME ENJOY THIS BABY!"

Her boisterous voice could split-apart an average person's ears. The gaps within the checkered slabs of marble burst open before crumbling under the vibrations.

The seconds flew by as the two stared down until Yuugi ended it with a stomp, closed the distance yet again, meeting the dragon head-on. She clenched her fists and drove them forward in rapid-fire. Spear Head lanced his spear to meet Yuugi's fists every time. After enough time for bare knuckles and the tips of a spear engaging in sonic speeds threatening enough to splatter any who dares to get in between, Spear Head used more force to launch Yuugi through a wall and into a new room.

Coming into the vacant area, she rushed to a nearby pillar and uprooted it. Spear Head came overhead to swipe at her side. Just in time, Yuugi shifted the pillar to her left and was blown away to an adjacent room. She uprighted herself against another pillar and threw the one on hand. Spear Head reappeared impassively and rushed to ram her once again. She uprooted the pillar behind and shielded herself with it.

This was how the battle flowed. Spear Head would toss Yuugi into room after room while she defended herself with pillars and threw them back. As the battle continued, they stopped at a room with no pillars to support her. The ceiling was absent with it turning into rubble beneath them during the aftereffects of their clashes. More debris was falling around them.

Not once did Yuugi ever turned her back against the dragon. She was at the center of the room with Spear Head sticking its head out of a hole she made when she crashed into it.

With a stomp, the slabs of darkened red marble hung in the air, and Yuugi thrust her palms as the tiles flew with the sonic booms acting as propellers towards Spear Head. She then kicked a slab on the ground by its edges as an added aesthetic together with the rest.

In swiftness and elegance, Spear Head caught all them under their jaws and crunched them to pieces from the pressure with ease you'd expect from chewing bubble gum.

**"Shackles Sign [Shackles a Criminal Can't Take Off]."**

Mystique purple light glared from her manacles and green orbs of mana formed on her open palms, swiping them in an X formation. Arcane manacles from her wrists and ankles shot out straightforwardly with green bullets spreading out to the side accompanying them. But unlike its regular use in danmaku, this spellcard was used to its utmost limit and had foregone its nonlethal inhibitions.

The dragon stayed put, its horn glinting.

Another strange phenomenon intercepted the manacles and bullets in every direction, producing explosions the moment those manacles had been destroyed. These unforeseen and unavoidable forces were shaped like the tips of the dragon's horn.

Light sizzled the air within the blast radius as the surroundings melted.

After the explosions cleared out of view, Spear Head righted its position straight, elongating and flashing forward in stabbing motions. He stabbed and retracted to send stab after stab and more consecutively.

Yuugi had brought her fists up like a boxer before he moved as a measure to react. She parried and deflected the spear coming at her using the manacles on her wrist. Sparks flew from the clashes with his dominating spear brushing against steel.

The muscles were in agony and screamed in pain. She was forced back slowly, step after step. She couldn't move to the side at all with Spear Head blocking her escapes to do so.

(Shit...! This can't go on anymore!)

The attacks accelerated knowing she can't parry all of them, she covered herself behind her arms and sunk her feet into the ground as leverage. They were relentless, taking opportunities to puncture more holes on her body.

Having enough, Yuugi sucked in air, swung her arms out to end the barrages and sent a mighty roar. Not willing to be left outdone, the Spear Head gave out its own roar.

**"KREEEEEE-EEEEEEEEEEEEEHK!"**

Their two shockwaves collided as the walls and pavement were blown far away from them with no more barriers to hinder them. The Palace could tumble down on top of them at any given moment. Every window was shattered into thousands of pieces apart with dust and debris flying out of them. The shock waves settled down between them and the two stopped momentarily.

The dragon was pushed back slightly thanks to the effects of the shockwaves. Yuugi suffered the same as she was forced out into the courtyard with her feet creating two trenches away from where they were originally planted.

"Man, that was one hell of a warm-up." Yuugi spat out some blood on the ground. "But now, how 'bout we take this downstairs?"

Lifting one leg above her straight, she stomped it down. The Palace trembled again. Yuugi fell into a make-shift hole she created, turning the battlefield towards the Blazes of Hell.

Free falling inside a dark hole full of crags and cliffs that slowly morphed into a burning one with walls of magma, she looked up and saw the shadow of Spear Head following her to the pits of hell. The next thing she heard was a chirpy voice calling out to her below.

"Intruder! Intruder alert! Halt immediately!" Came a warning to her ears. She recognized it belonging to a certain hell raven. She half-turned her head to eye the girl residing in here.

A girl of 163cm tall with long, jet black hair tied with a green ribbon on top falling down past her waist and chocolate brown eyes entered her peripheral vision. Her giant raven wings the same color as her hair had a cape hung over it. The outer layer being spotless white with the inside looking like the cosmos themselves. She wore a white button up blouse with a short green skirt. A demonic red eye decorated itself on her chest. Her right arm was encased in some cylindrical machinery, her right foot covered in some cement-like material and her left foot had rotating electrons.

"Hold it Utsuho. I'm not the one you need to worry about; it's him that's the culprit." Yuugi with a point of her finger at Spear Head. The now named Utsuho trailed her eyes to see the dragon.

"Unyuu!? Warning; foreign signature has entered the designated area under protection. Threat level estimated... power is immeasurable beyond scope. No appropriate measure to be found. Methods of deterrence are inadequate." The once chirpy voice of the hell raven turned robotic and intelligent. With a single glance at the dragon, she knew of the unlikely chance of victory against it.

"That's no reason not to try fighting it out ya know." Yuugi tried to convince her of teaming up and hoping that with the assistance of the hell raven, they can even out the gap in power.

"Inquiry; The dragon is the culprit for having caused the damages above? Yes or No?" Utsuho interrogated with a robotic voice.

"Sort of. I'm the one who did the most damage to your master's house." She admitted in a chuckle without an ounce of shame.

"Shifting target of removal to oni. The dragon appears to be targeting the oni. Removal of oni might lead the dragon to leave the premise." Utsuho stated blankly with a point of her cylinder aimed at Yuugi.

"Oi, oi, oi! I was protecting your home ya see!? Collateral was unavoidable!" Yuugi tried to defend herself, shifting most of the blame over to Spear Head.

"Inquiry; had it not been for you picking a fight with it, the battle wouldn't have happened. Yes or No?" Utsuho asked with an expressionless face.

"Urk... yeeeeah." Yuugi admitted nervously with a gulp. Having her back turned to Utsuho the entire conversation.

"Defendant has been proven guilty. Extermination phase has been granted." The hell raven charged up light to enter her cylindrical arm.

Being aware of their conversation the whole time, Spear Head smacked a nearby cliff with his tail and clutters of platforms floated alongside the combatants. Its spear gleaned menacingly and an unseen, unavoidable force impacted the hell raven's arm, dislocating its aim away from the oni. It would appear to have readily accepted the role of the villain in order to avoid the two fighting between themselves to death. An action that didn't go unnoticed by her.

"...switching targets to dragon. Executing all internal and external generators for full power. Nuclear fusion processing speed to the maximum. Engaging in combat with the intruder." Utsuho taking the aggression as an unavoidable invitation to the fight, she opted to join forces with Yuugi for a higher chance of survival.

And so, the battle raged on with the new addition of the hell raven who possessed the power of the sun. Yuugi setting foot on a falling platform with Utsuho right beside her as the dragon hanging above them allowed them time to group up.

The Blazing Fires of Hell spent the night drowning in chaos.

* * *

The biting cold and chill of rain and night harmonized into a dreadful world. The warmth and protection of the sun was gone, and, in its absence, people rushed into their homes, and yokai wished to avoid their spoiled hunting hours. There was nothing to be gained when only the brave and foolish would stay under this torrent.

Inside a warm temple for the devoted, the practitioners were prostrating towards an idol, chanting and muttering their sutras using this ideal time. From its atmosphere by the lit candles and incense sticks, it allowed for all to tread their journeys to enlightenment without the presence of worldly distractions.

Posing in the center of the altar where all the devotees directed their faith to an avatar of Bishamonten.

Thus, the hourly affairs of the Myouren Temple proceeded.

"Hijiri-san, dinner is almost approaching now."

"Why thank you Ichirin, I'll be right there in a moment."

A subordinate of the Head Priest came into a room, sliding open the shutters to announce that dinner is being prepared.

The one named Ichirin was the one to have entered, Ichirin Kumoi. As tall as 155cm, cyan hair fell to her shoulders, and dark purple eyes decorated her pretty face. On her head is headdress very similar to a nun's headdress. The white button-up blouse over her white dress with blue trims at the bottom of the skirt and sleeves and black and gold Japanese-style kesa hung over her shoulder, accented her status as a devout Buddhist.

The one to have responded in a voice filled with warmth and patience to the brim in a small smile is the Hijiri-san prior to being beckoned for dinner. Byakuren Hijiri, the Head Priest of Myouren Temple. Her kind and motherly demeanor appropriate for a priest were elevated from her towering 170cm height. Her wavy hair was purple to the roots that faded into light brown at the ends, the same color as her eyes. Her black and white dress had long strips of black fabric from the black portion being hung together across her well-endowed chest in a zig-zag pattern with another set of white strips her arms and black boots. Her clothes radiated piety and holiness that befitted a Buddhist minus the hair.

"Hijiri-san, just in, Mamizou has returned from the Outside World and has already situated herself to a seat at the dinner table." The navy haired girl reported.

"How splendid." That put her small smile to rise a bit. "I've always looked forward to hearing what the Outside World is up to."

"Murasa, unfortunately, can't attend this night. She's gone missing within the rain, and I sent Unzan to look for her. B-but don't worry! It's Murasa; she can handle herself in the rain!" Ichirin quickly switched tones so as not to bring Hijiri's mood down. She waved a hand of hers rapidly to dispel any concern for the missing person.

"I see... the best we could do now is to hope she hasn't gotten herself into any trouble." She ended on a somber tone, clearly disheartened by a single member of their group being absent for the night.

"Yeah... Hijiri-san, I'll wait for you at the usual place. Shou-chan should be finishing up her work with our attendees leaving soon."

"Thank you again Ichirin, be sure to keep my seat empty when I get there." Not wanting to leave their conversation in a somber note, she sent her a bright smile.

Idling away time as soon as Ichirin closed the shutters from her exit, Hijiri looked back to a scroll on her hands.

Enough time passed for her to stand upright and exit her private study and down the hall. She came to witness the empty rooms where prayers were meant to be taken and the symbol of their idol of worship nowhere to be seen. She went to a room with various yokai of different backgrounds and species seating themselves before the rectangular dinner table. Hijiri seated herself to the front and took in the ones present.

Ichirin was absent having been delegated to cooking duty this time.

From her right was a well-mannered and kindhearted woman reading newspaper with her head leaning on bare knuckles held by an elbow on the table. You'd know right away her status as a yokai by her tanuki ears and large striped tail. The woman who most likely had an old man's accent is Mamizou Futatsuiwa. Her height, if she weren't sitting, would be 155cm. Light-brown hair falling to her shoulders and brown eyes didn't leave much of an impression besides the mischievous face she was sporting. Her glasses and green leaf on her head gave others both a wise and wild impression. She mostly consisted of an ecru shirt and a red patterned-skirt.

Right next to Mamizou is a loli-esque girl full of energy and excitement contained inside that 145cm body. She is the infamous and feared Nue Houjuu. The young face was made up of short black hair and deep red eyes. The most extraordinary features had to be her wings that comprised of her right side being composed of three red and metallic-like wings shaped like one-half of a scissor, the other side came together in three blue arrow-shaped tails. The garments on her person comprised of a dress in full black with blue and white trims on her chest and a red bow on the front of the collar. The bottom corners of her skirt had yin-yang-like tomoes designed on it. Moving on to her legs, they were covered in thigh high black stockings and her red shoes had bows on them.

To the left of Hijiri was the temple's idol of worship, Shou Toramaru, the Avatar of Bishamonten. Her divinity showed from her large height of 165cm and yellow-golden eyes and orange-yellow hair with black stripes. There was a lotus-shaped circle cloth attached to her back and hanging over her head. She wears a burgundy, orange, and white dress with a tiger pattern around the abdomen along with white, frilly pants under her dress and black shoes on her feet.

"Welcome Hijiri-san."

"Nice of ya ta drop by."

"Hijiri-san listen! Mamizou-san has brought back the newspaper outside; another world crisis had been diverted!"

A courteous greeting, a casual one, and an excited Shou were what she received.

"Fufufu, settle down now Shou, I'll hear all about it soon enough. But oh dear... another world crisis cropping up is troubling." She paused for a moment in thought until turning her attention away from Shou and directing them to Mamizou." It's a pleasure to see you again, Mamizou-san. how was the trip to the Outside World?"

"Just how it always was recently, things were gettin' interestin' as usual." The Tanuki shot a grin with her fang poking out.

"Oh dear... I hope it wasn't something like the Third World War this time." Hijiri put a hand to her cheek, having a face full of worry.

"Keh heh heh, get this, a war god was making waves outside and had the world's attention." Nue was the one to answer, giggling while sitting cross-legged.

"A war goddess!? And so soon from the world war..." The complexion on her face turned a little bit paler with a hand placed to her cheek. Things have been going out of hand outside that it wouldn't be farfetched if the world were to end very soon, it could only last for so many world disasters in such a short time.

"She's already been done in by the world, so don't go actin' all tense before dinner." Mamizou confirmed it by passing a newspaper to Hijiri to see for herself. She took it off her hands gratefully and skimmed through it to see the headlines of the goddess's defeat.

Feeling relieved, Hijiri gave out an audible sigh and visibly relaxing her muscles. "I'm glad... It's already difficult enough to manage ourselves in Gensokyo. It would be preferable for the world to remain peaceful enough that it doesn't arrive at our front doors."

"That ain't the most shocking thing in the news ya know. It's proof of something even bigger than that." Nue's laced her voice with temptation that drew Hijri into wanting to find out the mystery behind it. What could be even more special than a war goddess planning to destroy the world?

"That's the thing! Hear this Hijiri-san, Kamijou-san stood up again and put a stop to her! Look, that's him on the newspaper!" Shou interjected with stars in her eye. She guided Hijiri to look at a certain photo that was taken at the scene of the goddess's defeat. What was taken was a young boy with eye-catching spiky hair holding the goddess in some sort of hug with a mysterious green glow behind her back.

"Really!? That's him?" A gasp escaped her mouth. She double-checked her eyes to scan the picture of the boy in a fervor. The group learned of him prior to being told by Mamizou from a rumor she had heard in passing. He had something to do with the rise of a new faction that gained infamy around the world. The residents in the temple had taken to a discussion about him in the past month, speculating all sorts of things about this rumored person who potentially had a hand in ending WWIII. "I can't imagine how on earth he could achieve so much yet remain a complete mystery to the public. And so young too."

"And 'twas only a single month 'tween late October and November since he stopped World War Three to boot." Mamizou reported the impressive efforts this boy had taken under the span of a single month.

"Kamijou-san is quite a hard worker then." Hijiri had to smile by the busybody that was this Kamijou-san. "I'm a bit worried about his health though; it would be undesirable for him to collapse."

Oh if only he was actually here to hear about this, he would undoubtedly cry. He can be proud of the fact that beautiful women he has never met before were talking about him.

Back in October, the world was experiencing the waves of a Third World War where the Allies versus Academy City had begun, only to be ended by the Proclamation of Armistice by Russia and its allies with Academy City. Behind the background, there was a mysterious figure and his faction who played a part in ending the war. He was presumed dead until he later reappeared again in the battle against the War God Othinus on national TV.

"Hah! If ya ask me, there's no way that guy is human! Going from one world war to a world terrorist attack isn't something a human has the stamina for! He's got both espers and magicians to be working together in his faction without killing each other! A mere human couldn't possibly achieve that; he's gotta be some yokai. His real name is 'Invisible Demon' [2] after all!" Nue gotten more pumped up as the discussion continued. She was visibly jumping on her seat with her body refusing to stay still.

"But the fact that he was able to bring two mortal enemies together under his banner is admirable! He's the same as Hijiri-san! Also, his real name has to be 'The One Who Purifies God and Slays Demons' [3]!" Shou slammed her hands in the table lightly, getting more fired up that Hijiri had to tell her to sit down again.

"Really? Rumor has it that he's an esper from Academy City. I'm also more of a fan of 'The One Above God' [4] kinda deal." Mamizou gave out her own report and opinion.

"Whether or not he's human doesn't play a huge factor that he was able to make espers and magicians to coincide and end a world war to stopping a world-class terrorist. Whatever his intentions are, his actions are something to look up too. However, Mamizou-san, how accurate is all of this?" Hijiri questioned the authenticity of the information with one eyebrow gestured inquisitively.

"Dear me, I'm hurt that ye would ever doubt my network. I'm quite a big deal at Sado ye know. All of it may be urban legends, but even they have roots of truth for 'em to come to be in the first place." Mamizou didn't sound hurt at all with her grin remaining unaffected.

"My deepest apologies." She sent a small bow at her. "I'm starting to want to meet this person. Maybe we could trade some ideas." Hijiri spoke out her personal fascination with the mystery man, feeling a little optimistic with the prospects of future relations with the boy.

"I'd say he hasn't done enough work to being more famous or exercising that power of his. As his senior, it's my duty as fellow yokai to teach them how to be real big shots." Nue kick backed with her hands behind her on the floor and a grin to match.

"I want to ask him of his heroic deeds!"

"Now that's gonna' be real difficult. If he's really from Academy City, the city that rejects everything superstitious and embraces modern technology to produce espers, then it's gonna' be impossible for him to ever reach Gensokyo. Not to mention this information I've got had almost cost my subordinates' lives before escaping the city."

Hijiri frowned and narrowed her eyes whenever Academy City was mentioned. It was a city that defined everything using the confines of pure logic and statistics, foregoing any mysticism. It was a poisonous land to her, a death chamber for all yokai in her opinion. Not to mention it being a potential world power could threaten the balance of all yokai in the world, endangering them.

"That's a real shame." Hijiri sounded a lot more disappointed than expected from the group. "I had looked forward to seeing what kind of person this Kamijou-san is if he can unite science and magic together."

"Dinners ready!"

Ichirin Called out to the occupants in the room the second she opened the door with plates of food in hand.

"About time! C'mon, give 'em to me." Nue stood upright from her seat and grabbed some of the trays from Ichirin. They both set down the food in time and took their seats.

"So, what was it that I missed?" Ichirin looked over at everyone.

"Kamijou-san was in action again! His faction stopped a war god from destroying the world!" Shou eagerly told her.

"Now now, dinner is here, so the time for Ichirin to catch up has to wait." Admonished Hijiri while Ichirin pouted in indignant from missing out on it.

"Itadakimasu!"

Everyone put their palms together in prayer and set their chopsticks at the food-

**"HHRAAG-gaAaaAAAaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHK!"**

-Only to promptly drop them on their plates.

Color had faded from their faces. They stammered themselves out of their funk, stood upright, and ran to the front gate outside.

What they witnessed was the rain had turned into a storm. The rampaging rain was threatening to flood Gensokyo at this rate.

"A-artificial rain!? Is someone causing an incident?" Shou had studied the weather in clattered teeth.

Visible thunderclouds were away in the distance from Yokai Mountain's direction.

Something had shot out from it and was heading their way.

When it became visible to them, they saw a body of dazzling opal. Its body structure belonged to a serpent.

The group gathered that it was a dragon and turned blue from its speed rushing towards them. They didn't have enough time to react in their current distressed states.

Its fast approach caught their breaths when they can feel the air pressure crawling on their skins. They're going to turn into blood paste on their temple steps if that thing so much as brute force its way through them, which they can imagine it so vividly in a disconcerting amount of detail — something quite like having flashbacks of your life before it's reaped away.

Hijiri stomped the ground to secure herself with a guarded stance. Shou and Nue summoned a spear and trident respectively, stabbing them to the ground and anchoring themselves. Mamizou transformed into a Jizo statue [5] with her tail remaining animated. Ichirin... grabbed a nearby pillar and hugged it with a mighty grip.

They were in luck as it ultimately passed by them overhead to the direction of the Bamboo forest. The air carried away the roof tiles of their temple and blown away some parts of the ceiling belonging to a certain amount of rooms. Concrete blocks and brick were in for the ride as well into smashing the front of the temple and over it into the cemetery, the unfortunate gravestones met the same fate.

All of them experienced the immense air pressure all over their front bodies as their hair and clothes blew away and clutched their bodies, revealing their alluring figures and proportions for the whole world to see, save for Mamizou. Hijiri shielded her eyes using her arms while the rest covered them.

During the time it was above them, the sky had turned stifling black and rain had ceased activity.

Moments after it disappeared, the rain returned to its original state, and all was peaceful for now.

The entire time everything had taken place spanned for several minutes, but for them, everything was a blur. Only one of them had a response they all could relate to.

"What. The Fuck. Just Happened?"

Hijiri smacked Nue as they regained their composures. Color had returned to their bodies with their held breaths released.

"I wouldn't relax so soon. Look, it's a shikigami." Mamizou pointed out to everyone the approaching origami paper.

"How many people in Gensokyo uses shikigami would you say?" Ichirin whispered to Mamizou with her hands grasping the hems of her skirt.

"Well, the most obvious person had to be that gap yokai."

It landed itself on the palm of Hijiri as she unwrapped it to read what was written. Her eyes turned wide from scanning the contents

"We'll continue this inside. We have an important discussion to make."

The question was how are they going to do that with their temple in such a rundown quality.

* * *

At the same time the Myouren group was contemplating their course of actions with regards to the invitation, another group outside of Gensokyo witnessed the biting rain and sunder of the gods from their home using some of the cracks leading to their miniature world to view the ongoing events proceeding in Gensokyo. They too had received a shikigami after the veil of darkness on Gensokyo had dissipated.

"Crown Prince! What does thou think of thee situation?"

"Emergency gathering at the Hakurei Shrine? Bring sake and sweets for the party? The Conference begins at daylight hmm? Not bad."

"What do you mean your highness?

The very archaic way of speaking belonged to Mononobe no Futo, a short girl barely above 143cm. Her grey eyes and short hair tied in a ponytail and a black eboshi hat with white crossing patterns expressed a small image of royalty. It was certainly certified by her clothing consisting of kariginu or suikan, Heian era clothing for those of the Imperial Court modified together by a purple skirt. She positioned herself to the left of her supposed leader

The charming and steadfast voice belonged to the Crown Prince mentioned above, Toyosatomimi no Miko. She was a woman complete in royal backgrounds. Her platinum blond hair was stylized to look like horns. She also had grey eyes. A visible accessory on her is a headpiece that looks like headphones and acts as earmuffs. Under her white vest is a purple dress and beside it is a sword she carries. On her hand in front of her is a shaku, a bamboo ritual baton used in a courtroom. In the colors of royalty, her cape is purple and red on the outer and back side respectively. She was in the front seat of her table inside her personal room.

The direct and frank tone of voice belonged to Soga no Tojiko. She was 160cm together with her two ghost tails substituting her legs. Other than the kanmuri-styled hat on her, she was without anything remarkable to say. A single color overpowered her image, and it was green. Green hair, green eyes, and a green dress with ofudas along the hem. She is by the right side in front of Miko.

This group of supernaturals had seen the ruin the dragons composed. Mainly the one who flew over the Myouren group as they spent a great deal of time laughing their asses off from the misery befallen upon their business rival.

"This certainly looks like a natural and inconspicuous invitation during this time of chaos, no, it's very effective because of the chaos surrounding Gensokyo right now." She identified the nature of this invitation in a heartbeat, eyeing it with suspicion. "But this isn't just a simple invitation for a party to unwind from this state of distress, it's a method of gauging our reactions. How sly of you, gap hag." Miko had made a quick evaluation the moment she read the contents of the shikigami with her eyes narrowed in concentration.

The two servants remained silent for the Prince to continue her explanation. They waited patiently as they visibly loosened up from the charisma she was radiating. In such a time of turmoil, people look towards a leader to guide them. The two wouldn't admit it, but they were terrified by what they had witnessed in Gensokyo. Dragons were infiltrating it and spreading themselves to areas unknown. And the total darkness that had happened which prevented them from witnessing anything more sent a cold chill down their metaphorical spines.

"We're not the only ones to be invited. Most likely, anybody right now who has any semblance of tact is weighing their decisions." Miko had remained calm the entire time compared to the other two. Her voice was unwavering without any impurities to hamper her tongue.

"They're hesitating?" The two subordinates tilted their heads in confusion.

"Correct, if a group were to arrive there immediately, then they can be judged to lack information and are in need of guidance. In other words, they aren't a threat if they show weakness. On the other hand, if a group arrives late, then everybody will assume they know something or had an agenda they carried out, making their own investigations before everybody else. They'll become the one to be most apprehensive of."

Tojiko and Futo became speechless by Miko's quick discernment of the trap laying under that shikigami. This was well within the range of expectation they had for her, but that didn't mean they could prevent themselves from being amazed all the same. She addressed both in a powerful tone befitting a leader. Her voice was neither too loud nor too weak to be taken lightly. And that royal stature and awe-inspiring demeanor broke their anxiety and cleared away the veil of fog behind their minds.

"What would happen if we made a convenient excuse not to be there?" Tojiko suggested a harmless question.

"This is also something we can't refuse to attend to. An absence would lead everybody to be more wary of us and strain trust relations in handling this incident. Even under all of this, we are still naturally competing against one another."

"As expected of Crown Prince's foresight, to be able to remind thyself of all competition even under 'tis situation is most impressive." Futo had nodded in a compliment to Miko and her observations.

"If I let my guard down for a second, then I have no right to even think of making future conquests against the world if I can't conquer this small piece land. Outside of this small world, there are many more rivals to come, especially that one which spans the whole world." In Miko's eyes reflected grand desires and ambitions for the future.

"Art thou perhaps speak of thee Kamijou Faction?"

"That is correct. I had realized something recently, that Gensokyo was too small for me. To think there exists a modern human who has surpassed me in terms of influencing the world in such a short time when it didn't pay the deserved attention I require during my whole life. Before I even dream of facing this man as equals, I must rule over Gensokyo. My world of Senkai [6] is inefficient in terms of a primary base of operations." There was an edge and excitement for a challenge in her voice behind the smile charming enough to silence crying babies. The deep respect for this man was obvious behind her smirk.

"You've been quite diligent lately the day that newspaper drifted into Senkai."

"There is only one goal I aspire to, and that is to be at the top as befitting my grand title of the one who rules the cosmos. And the one who guards the very doors and throne for which I shall claim is none other than my rival! The One who Purifies God and Slays Demons!" Miko proclaimed her objective to best the one with the highest power in the world with a strike of her shaku on the table.

"Not to sound rude or anything your highness, but what do you see in this man besides his impressive feats as of late that may or may not exist?"

"'Tis vexing for thy to be in agreement with thee vulgar spirit, but what doth see within thee man beside thee impressive anecdotes to thou name?"

"Hmm-hmm, I had already read your desires before you spoke of them." She nodded with her eyes closed and arms crossed. "And to answer, it is because of the day the Third World War ended and during late August. Can you remember what happened during those days? Your next lines are 'The stars vanished from the sky' and 'Thee world turned day to night' by the way [7]."

"The stars vanished from the sky. Eh-!?"

"The world turned day to night. Geh-!?"

"Correct, and from that day when the war had ended, so too did the night sky vanished, and the stars returned to their proper positions. A related event had occurred before that in August, and my intuition tells me that Kamijou had been a central element in both cases. Now you see? My admiration is not misplaced. That man is just like myself; the world is too small for people like us! It is necessary for me to face the one who can triumph against the stars themselves!" Miko made a clenched fist to crush something as she stood from her seat so suddenly. The purple cape behind her defied gravity as it swayed from the sheer absence of air to do so.

Both of her subordinates stopped questioning the Princess's determination. They were now aware of the vastness outside their world. For Miko to comprehend this just by the newspaper alone had impressed them once again.

"Enough of future projects that can be waited, what is the time available?" Miko ordered one of them to speak up after bringing back the main topic right as she sat back down.

"The night shall turn midnight in two hours and becomes daybreak six and a half hours after."

"What is your decision, Crown Prince?"

The Princess did not answer right away, visibly stuck in concentration with her hands clasped and fingers crossed before her face. Both shut their mouths with the intensity of the air vibrating near Miko.

"It wouldn't do to skip out on the ceremony; we don't want to offend everybody lest we sour relations with the gap hag who went out of her ways to invite us in the first place. But we can't be a part of the early groups to show any signs of weakness."

Miko shut her eyes slowly before drawing in a breath. Her two followers inched closer to her in anticipation for her answer. After a split second, she finally reached a conclusion they can act upon and opened her eyes with a fierce glow.

"Hence we wait until midnight for departure. This way we will neither be early or late."

With her imperious announcement finished, a sound agreement rung all over the room by the two subordinates.

"Then there really is nothing to worry over, as long as your highness will lead, as if I ever doubted that." Tojiko lightly smiled with Futo nodding away fervently.

"Yes, yes, with Crown Prince's guidance, we will prosper beyond thee Dragon's scheme. Though 'tis an insignificant worry of thine, if thee dragons-"

Futo was cut off short by Miko who controlled the conversation the entire time, waving her concerns aside."There is no need for concern, our world is apart from Gensokyo, their claws will never reach-"

She stopped herself with her ears detecting a small rumbling. Her superhuman senses aided her in seeing dust bouncing very lightly, undetectable to the normal eye. Shortly after, Tojiko and Futo looked around in confusion. Where was that sound coming from?

Suddenly, without warning, the room rumbled with exquisite and antique jars and plates kissing the floor and shattered. An earthquake broke out around and below their tiny abode. A giant geyser burst right under them, leaving nothing of value to be found from this barren terrain.

* * *

"Dragon God has finally returned to Gensokyo..."

A mutter softly flowed out into the air.

Somewhere in Yokai Mountain, a certain individual had witnessed the entire series of events the first moment that Dragon God appeared in the sky, all the way to the end when the mass of energy that belonged to Dragon God dissipated.

She was standing in front of her fancy, Japanese mansion, or what she would call a dojo.

"To think that only a mere century and more would pass for this day to finally come. I don't know why or how he returned to this land, only one thing is for certain. Heaven is smiling upon me."

That woman who spoke of ominous words and had the impression of being knowledgeable of the finer workings to come was in a position of knowing in the first place.

"It was that day... that day they imparted to me the knowledge and granted us this secret world. It was always a matter of time for the North Star to be devoured whole. Thus, Heaven and Earth shall be sundered, and the true rulers of heaven will take the throne in this fragile world."

She reached out to from where Dragon God was once before in an attempt to grasp something unfathomable with her bandaged arm.

"Not even Yukari is in the know of all that is to come. I pity her. She spoke of her ideal Gensokyo, but how will that turn out to be in the end?"

She retracted her hand from the air and broke out an indecipherable smile, whatever was behind that smile will remain known only to herself and the dragons.

"After all, only I was able to communicate with their words. I had the aptitude for that purpose."

Turning around, she walked back to her dojo through the porch and front gate, she staggered inside in an uneven pace, pressing the bandaged arm against the wall.

"He-heh heh heh heh heh heh heh..."

Her whole body was trembling to force back her jubilations. She finally reached her private room, a desk and scrolls laid all over the floor.

"Eh heh heh heh heh heh heh heh...!"

"Yo Hermit, I'm bargin' inside so I can reap your life."

"HYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA-oh it's just you."

"What's with that sudden transition of voice pitch? Saw you had cold feet coming in just now. You alright?"

Sitting cross-legged on an exposed circular window in the owner's main room and leaning back on it casually was a pinkish redhead wielding a scythe in the night. The one asking the questions and trespassing the owner's home is one of the ferrymen of the Sanzu River, Komachi Onozuka. Her two ponytails reflected her laid-back personality very well. Adding to her wrinkled white dress and blue vest tied together using a large obi with a large in the dead center, it transmitted her body language perfectly.

The person who jumped up from the voice entering and yelped in response was the hermit, Kasen Ibaraki. She wasn't feeling very keen right now from the rude jumpscare earlier. What with her bandaged arm and shackled left arm was crossed with utilizing her 166cm height to appear intimidating. Her red eyes were crossed with her shoulder-length pink hair and two Chinese-styled buns wavering from the air coming inside from the window. Her white shirt and green skirt beneath the brown tabard designed with vines of thorns and rose ornament quivered alongside her.

"What's with that creepy laughter you just had? I guess you're really are out of it because of those dragons outside. Don't worry, I can totally relate, I almost pissed my pants earlier." Komachi nodded to herself sagely in closed eyes.

"Y-yeah! Totally! It was really scary outside just now, w-who wouldn't be!? In fact, you scared me half to death just now!" In a stammering attempt to cover herself, she waved her arms rapidly to have some semblance of being convincing.

"Rrright, right, right, right. Anywho, me and the boss are in official business currently and sent me to look for you." Komachi waved at her with a single eye open.

"Who me?" Kasen pointed to herself in bewilderment. What would the Yama want with her?

"We caught a shikigami. I don't have to say it to spell out who this belongs to yeah?" As Komachi pulled out a shinigami from her breast pocket as proof, she made a knowingly disgusted face.

"Ugh, so did I." The two shared disgusted faces with their voices leaking in disdain. She pulled her shikigami out and clasped it tightly, putting her hands to her hip and stared straight at Komachi. "That still doesn't answer what the Yama wants with me."

"Honestly, she just wanted someone knowledgeable about the state of Gensokyo intimately as a safe measure among her group to the Hakurei Shrine." Komachi shrugged her shoulders with a bored expression. "If we have a guide among us to fix this incident, it's a good lift on our shoulders."

"Well sorry to disappoint, but I don't have any idea on what's going on either. It displeases me but we might as well get there immediately." Wearing an annoyed face, Kasen relayed her answer to Komachi immediately. "If we try and act like we know something when we're not, that means no ones going to bother trusting us as a result."

"Sounds good to me. Let me on my way to pick up the boss and give her your answer." Stretching her arms without tilting her scythe carried a lot of professionalism behind that deceiving attitude. She was on her way before Kasen stopped her.

"Hey... Why is the night light outside...kinda blue?" She brought the shinigami's attention outside by following her line of sight.

Komachi turned away to the side and noticed it too. The night had a blue spell cast all over it. She picked herself up and jumped from the roof tile to a higher level, Kasen following her steps. They turned their necks upward and found the moon had turned blue. The shinigami beside the hermit gave a loud shout from witnessing the sheer absurdity the current events had progressed to.

"HOLY SHIT! THEY FUCKED UP THE MOON SO HARD, IT TURNED BLUE!" The shinigami smacked a hand to her forehead in horrification and amusement. The visual was so incredibly unbelievable, it was in turn completely acceptable in Gensokyo. She turned to look over her current companion and saw her clutching her stomach and shivering with her eyes downcast and lips wobbling. It was a natural response in her opinion, but the truth behind Kasen's reaction was something else.

(N...no, I mustn't laugh now... I'm a hermit, therefore, I must practice patience... b... but...!)

* * *

[1]: Traditional Japanese footwear, a sandal with a wooden sole raised off the ground.

[2]: Touma's given name (当麻) is homophonous to Invisible Demon (透魔) that's pronounced like _Tōru ma_.

[3]: Instead of how his usual name is spelled out (上条当麻), it can be rewritten into _One who Purifies God and Slays Demons_ (神浄討魔).

[4]: And his family name 'Kamijou' (上条) is homophonous to _One Above God _(神上).

[5]: Jizo statues represents Jizo Bosatsu, a form of divinity in Japanese Buddhism as protectors of dead children.

[6]: A secret, sealed world for hermits accessible anywhere in Genoskyo via cracks that contain endless space.

[7]: The famous line used by Joseph Joestar in Battle Tendency. Miko had used it before in her debut game, Ten Desires.

**Please call out any grammar errors in my fic. They are very much appreciated.**


	4. SS: 1

**A/N: I'm sorry, did I say the near future? I meant two days after. Welcome back everyone! And this time I got a whopping +15k chapter like I promised. Question, which do you guys prefer? The regular line breaks, or the X bars? Also, can I say how awesome you guys are for reviewing? It always sends my body jittering with goosebumps every time a review pops up. I get so excited my hands wouldn't sit still for me to work. It really does motivate me a lot that you guys are enjoying this as much as I am. Plus, this chapter is one of the most anticipated ones I wanted to pull out.**

**For Review Responses:**

**WilliamZO: Finally! The Prologue is truly over! Or is it? Back to answering, the little sisters are going to play some necessary roles in progressing Touma's first night in Gensokyo, leading up to a really spectacular scenario, so look forward to that *wink* *wink*. The way you mentioned the Yama gave me an awesome idea that can really fit into the spectacular moment I spoke about, and let me say, she's going to have the scare of her LIFE. Kasen's unique situation... I'm not planning anything _to_ drastically until her manga gets updated. The dragons will have their powers and personality characterized along the way. Nazrin...I'm thinking about another plotline that's going to follow involving her, but I haven't completely decided yet. You must understand though, Kamijou Touma is a normal high school boy you can find anywhere (TM). Rinnosuke might get something similar real close by. For the Oni's reaction to the Moon, that was mostly coincidental and more how Suika loves battles and Kasen knowing something everybody else doesn't. As for Touma learning of the fate of the Moon...I won't be shirking away when that moment arrives is what I'll say.**

**Disclaimer: To Aru Majutsu No Index belongs to Kazuma Kamachi and Touhou Project belongs to ZUN. I don't own either of these properties.**

**SS: Amatsukami on the Moon, Rupture and Overturn - Heaven**

* * *

"Tsukuyomi-sama."

A divine woman breathed hastily as she kneels down, supporting her body on one knee before the face of the sage of the moon on the screen in front of her. Her head tilted downwards on the tatami floor.

Sagume Kishin, a Lunarian and classified as a goddess who has short light grey hair with a braid on the back, red eyes, and a single white wing on her back. She wears a purple dress, the bottom of which is cut into an arrow pattern, with a red microphone bowtie, a tan jacket with the same arrow pattern design on the bottom edges and strange markings on the shoulder, topping it all is brown shoes. Today she has heard of troubling news that could shake the Lunar capital at its core.

"Sagume, on what conditions have moved you enough to call me _that you would even move your mouth_?"

Tsukuyomi, a sage of the moon, his face being covered by a black veil questioned the Goddess before him with a composed face and regal tone.

Sagume had a difficult face. She expected such a response considering the reputation of her powers. "…My powers," She gulped, "have appeared to be failing as of recently now."

"...Illuminate me." Tsukuyomi had to pause briefly, checking whether or not he heard that correctly.

"There is _someone_ interfering with the world itself." Sagume had to shake her head to ward of the nervousness threatening to slip from her voice. "No matter how much I slip my words, they cannot reach it."

"...! To be able to interfere with your powers is possible…but to have absolutely no effect?! His solemnness deepened from such an impossibility. "Not unless something exists that even fate has no power over!"

"My Lord, the one responsible is an unnamed dragon. The Watatsuki sisters are on standby and are bearing witness to a figure across the Sea of Tranquility above. They have reported the figure to be washed in pure white robes. Its length is approximately ten kilometers or so." She detailed the current events tentatively.

"A dragon? That is most unusual. It's been thousands of years since a dragon of such size was last seen." The sage mused.

"They heard from their rabbit soldiers Ringo and Seiren from the earth when they saw it heading towards the moon. This was confirmed by their pet Rei'sen when she witnessed the dragon across the Sea of Tranquility until it presumably vanished and reappeared again closer to the shores. We presume it to be flickering between the scientific and fantastic versions of the moon maintained by our barrier. Right now, it has not reacted to anything and decided to stay stationary in the sky."

"Dealing with one of them might be of concern, but how it did bypass our sensors even if it is a dragon? They should have been warned far sooner before it even reached the moon!"

Tsukuyomi had to narrow his eyes at that point. A dragon though it may be, the Lunar society's citizens have no need to worry over one divine god with the power they wield behind thousands. And two of the most promising defense captains to watch over the area where the moon and earth are most connected is a massive ease of concern. But for their advanced technology to be rendered useless against it?

"They have been unable to detect any information using their sensors on hand. Only with their eyes and ears were they able to identify the dragon. Communications with it are impossible as it hasn't bothered to recognize their words or presence, its attention appears to be towards our Lunar capital. They are stationed before the dragon on standby to respond to any aggression from it." Sagume reported with the added measure of sending the data acquired or lack of data from the dragon to Tsukuyomi.

"Why did they send you as a messenger instead of contacting me themselves?" Why did this goddess appear before him instead of the two captains?

"They did not order me to, I came here by my own volition. As for the princesses, they were confident in their roles as the captains of the Lunarian Defense corps. They did not see fit to trouble you on trivial matters they can handle. A notion that I agreed with…until recently as I appear before you. We have lost contact recently with them and no method of communication beyond familiars are working properly. Thus, I decided to report to you personally and have sent Doremy Sweet, the Baku to look over and return for information." Sagume bowed her head to hide her face completely.

Tsukuyomi swiped his fingers for a holographic control screen to appear before him. He receives the data with prudence and decides to contact the princesses directly. As to confirm Sagume's words, the princesses have not responded to his call. He then decides to reach the Observatory tower of the capital to scan the dragon from afar with their superior and recently up to date sensors compared to what the sisters have on hand to identify any and all information on the dragon from here.

"Who right now is still susceptible to your powers?"

"…no matter how much my tongue slips, the dragon's fate could not be touched or for those intertwined with it...it's as if the dragon doesn't even _exist_."

Sagume finished with anxiety gripping her.

"Its reach has covered the entire moon, sir. I can no longer influence anybody here…"

* * *

A 10-kilometer long Branch horned dragon with its pure white webbing scales along its spine giving the image of it wearing a robe with its black carapace underbelly is fixed in the sky of the moon and a long distance away from the tips of sand on the beach. The position of its body had its head and neck straitened upwards with its pitch-black eyes and golden iris facing straight. The rest of its serpentine body made curves behind it.

Standing guard on the edge of the shores are two sisters radiating regal auras. One in a guarded stance while the other is acting like it's any other evening.

The older of the two is Watatsuki no Toyohime. 166cm tall, long, flowing, sandy blonde hair and golden eyes. She is wearing a dark blue dress with a strap on the left over a white long-sleeved blouse together with a loose belt that has a gold mirror-shaped buckle, and a white bonnet with a red ribbon on it. Hands loose and sticking between her palms is a closed fan. On her face is a carefree smile as she takes in the view of the creature above the sea.

The other, younger sibling, Watatsuki no Yorihime. The same height as her sister having light purple hair tied into a ponytail with a yellow ribbon and brown eyes. She wears a dark red dress with a strap on the right over a white short-sleeved blouse, and a loose belt with a gold sword-shaped buckle. Her sword and sheath are stabbed into the sand with her palms on its hilt. A steeled expression on her face with calculating eyes as she tries to decide which god is most appropriate to deal with the anomaly.

The older one attempted to approach the dragon in a casual, but professional manner.

"Now then, I would like to extend our greetings once more dragon-sama. I am Watatsuki no Yorihime, and this over here is my sister, Watatsuki no Yorihime."

"Why haven't you given up on making pleasantries with it?" Yorihime could only sigh at her sister in exasperation. "Look at it, it has no intention of acknowledging us. The dragon, while beautiful and having the body structure of the glorious dragon, it lacks the divine nature of one that we're familiar with. It's probably a subspecies that mimics its superior family."

They were being cautious towards the invader and allowing it to make its move first. No aggressive actions have been needed yet as they did not learn anything from it even with all their advanced sensors. The sensors could not detect any thermal response, radio waves or even electromagnetic waves from the creature. Without any hold of Intel, they could not create a sufficient strategy to apprehend it without sustaining any possible damages. The sensors couldn't even register it on its monitors and made it seem like the dragon was _invisible from reality_, only to be perceptible by the eyes and ears.

"Well, it couldn't hurt to allow for it to speak for itself. It's not hostile now and it seems to be in appreciation of our capital. I can't blame it for its action. There is no need for concern, so why not be lenient towards it? We are Lunarians and we must greet our guests with proper etiquette and a warm welcome. Besides, with such a regal figure it possesses it must be of divine royalty." Her eyes then lit up upon an idea. "My, I have a splendid idea! I propose we invite it to our capital for a tour!"

Still wearing the carefree smile, Yorihime clapped her palms together right next to her cheek in sudden realization for a wonderful idea.

"How ridiculous." She denied her idea in annoyance. "We shouldn't be hasty to cast such early judgments. It could be another invader being stupid by attacking the moon head on. We should just send it back on the fifth that is the earth where it came from. We don't want to commit another mistake like Uranoshimako. It might bring in filth upon the moon the more it stays here. A dragon whose divinity is unrecognizable or if it even has one is highly suspicious." Yorihime said with a haughty tone. Her arrogant demeanor out in the open.

"Oh my, just how worked up are you? Perhaps after this, we make a trip to the hot springs to cool yourself." Toyohime covered her lips with a hand in concern.

"Never mind that, we can't afford yet _another_ invader on the moon to humiliate us. We will show our true abilities in defending the moon the moment it turns hostile." Yorihime spatted out in a scowl from remembering of a time when two humans in foreign suits invaded them and planted a flag on their home.

"…Why yes dear sister, we mustn't fail here knowing that the invasions will not stop here." Toyohime nodded. "If what you say becomes true then it would be a good chance for the rabbits to gain real battle experience and a good workout for us."

Finally, after a long time staring at the dragon, it has reacted. Currents of wind are coiling around its body that starts from its tail and ends towards the front of its face, wearing the wind like a membrane. Face still staring forward and its line of sight somewhere in the Lunar Capital, its eyes turned hostile with a glint and ready for battle as its mouth breathed out air in a vortex.

"My, my, what a shame that it turned out to be like this…we most certainly can't allow this to continue. Allow me to extend our proper greetings towards Invaders. Yorihime, take the lead." Toyohime with her smile still in place addressed her sister. Her eyes turned frigid in disappointment from the lizard's actions.

Yorihime simply nodded in response. "Rabbits! Keep the sensors running. Aim with precision, just like how you've always done for practice and fire your bayonets towards the enemy! We are to detain this beast and prepare a fitting seal for capture. Do not stop with the ammunition!"

"Y-yes ma'am! Snipers entering combat, set to rapid fire! The sensors are in position! W-Wha!? The sensors! Just what are these numbers!?" A rabbit soldier responded to her orders with meekness and shock.

For the first time since the new rabbit soldiers have been trained, they are entering the battlefield.

The beach was lit up in thousands of lights as bullets have been fired against the dragon in the sky. They expected them to slow down from the aura of wind surrounding it. However, the attacks instead soared through the cloak of wind without losing speed.

Their surprise didn't end there for it wasn't the most mysterious phenomena to occur. The bullets they fired reached the body and phased right through it like it was flowing water. Ripples from where their bullets had landed surfaced all over the body of scales.

(What? The bullets phased through its body? I half expected the wind to reflect or slow down those bullets with its brazen actions of leaving its guard down. But the wind had no effect on the bullets, so it isn't a means of defense?)

"Switch to your EMP rounds! Do not stop until they are at cooldown!"

Yorihime ordered the rabbits to start firing their next line of firearms. The ammunition for the next firing attempt is replaced with electric rounds.

She had theorized that physical attacks to be noneffective against this dragon and must be susceptible to forms of energy instead. And with its wind being for show it wasn't going to affect their speed and get in the way.

They aimed their rifles over their shoulders and fired again in the hopes of doing some damage to the enemy. When the bullets left their barrels, they burst into the air, leaving behind a streak of electricity.

Useless.

The EMP rounds passing through the air cloak with no resistance was met with a new phenomenon. They changed direction near the tip of its scales, some curved away from the dragon and around the outline of its body.

(What happened for the bullets to curve? Is that the purpose of those wind?)

Yorihime pondered in bewilderment. Trying to formulate an idea of what the dragon is capable of and its bizarre defense system.

"What do the sensors say now?" Not having to turn back, she called for the new intel to be received.

"There's no change on the monitors…no …wait, is that a singularity on the monitors?!"

"What?! That couldn't be! There is none in front of us nor could there ever be a naturally occurring one here!" Exclaims Yorihime with understandable shock. An extraordinary phenomenon appearing over this solar system? It was completely impossible.

"There is no change on the monitors, the external monitor signals have been on loop from one minute ago! This…This is unexplainable!"

"What did the sensors say about our weaponry?"

"They say the trajectory of the EMP rounds stayed straight!"

"Ridiculous! How could our sensors be incapable of detecting our bullets' change in trajectory!?"

Yorihime, while operating under the distress of the rabbits is still far from panicking with confidence that there is a proper explanation for the bizarreness in the air.

"Everything had been normal moments before, the calculation circuits are sending out codes I've never seen before! I can't control any of this!"

"Could it be hacking into our machinery? Maybe those winds are creating illusions without the use of magic?"

Toyohime came up with two hypotheses that the circulating winds around the dragon are the source of the defective information being scanned by the sensors.

Leaving them no time to contemplate the nature of its defense, the aura of wind around the dragon spiked up and expanded away from its serpentine body.

The formation of an atmosphere is evident. The makeup of the air, however, were unidentifiable.

With this new foreign air contaminating the moon, the rabbits had faces full of fear if that were to spread. The two captains in comparison remained steadfast under the potential lethality of this new atmosphere.

Anything that remotely held the concepts of life and death in it was an impurity toxic to the purity of everything on the moon. A new atmosphere carrying carbon and other components of life cannot be allowed to exist on the moon.

"Soldiers! Take this time to put on your suits!" Yorihime shouted out the commands.

Wasting no time, they put on the suits on hand modeled after the astronaut suits from those two Americans who invaded them in the past.

"The unidentified singularity's gravitational field is expanding, even though it doesn't exist! No…the gravitational field is changing its borders!"

"Hurry up and give me more precise reports soldier!" Yorihime shouted out with a scowl. The mood around the rabbits continuing to become more and more chaotic.

"We are in need of a proper analysis in order to effectively combat the enemy right now." Toyohime remained professional, maintaining the duty of observing the dragon.

"All sensors, thermal responses, radio waves, radiation…and timestamps are all over the place! The analysis program that's running has almost all its systems running errors!" The rabbits in charge of the sensors are shaking violently, more than they usually do. Their skins have turned paler and their eyes wider.

The dragon then arched its head back, signaling its movements for a roar, sucking in the air with so much force that vacuums were visible.

The surface of the sea left its serenity in the wake of the leviathan above. Rings of waves were attracted to the center right below the dragon from the air suction.

"All soldiers! Cease your firing and retreat from here!" Yorihime swiftly ordered the rabbits in response to the ineffective use of their current armed weapons. "We will handle everything from this point on! Rei'sen! You are to remain here and take over the sensors."

"Yo-Yorihime-sama?!"

The unfortunate pet rabbit had the shortest stick of the group as her eyes shivered and her legs ready to cave in. Unenthusiastically, she staggered forward to grab a sensor Yorihime handed to her.

Far too glad to escape the current madness of the battle, the rest rushed away from the beaches and hid behind the trees and bushes. Others ran even further behind into open fields of rock.

"Hmph."

Yorihime continued to watch the dragon in anticipation and haughtiness. She has already chosen a god to react from its predictable action.

**"HHHRrRvvVEHEeEEHHHhHEeEHHHHEEEEEEE!"**

The air exploded.

Sound waves rocked out being carried by the wind and the vibrations maddened in zeal.

The heavens responded to the dragon's order. They immediately closed themselves as black clouds swarmed the sea and beach, rejecting all light from entering. Water burst from being in close proximity. The sea became a chaotic battlefield as the winds shifted and turned so suddenly that spillways were forming on the former flat surface of the sea. The calm wind turned violent as pockets of miniature cyclones have formed on the surface of the sea.

The aura of wind acting as the dragon's second skin had expanded even further and accelerated that hints of what is to be sparks of electricity is running all over its body.

The atmosphere of the moon has transformed. The sky above the sea is now its territory. Its expansion stopped at the surface area of 4,000 kilometers.

Then, the shockwave continued to flow out in every direction. The distance it traveled would soon reach the Watatsukis and rabbits.

The rabbits instinctively covered their faces with their arms. Bodies turned paler while quivering from the assailing winds. What surprised them was that their positions hadn't budged at all from contacting the wind. When eyes began to open, the winds unable to break the sound barrier, yet possessed speed surpassing them had flowed all over their bodies without pressure behind them.

The wind carried by the dragon was enough to crush their bodies to paint the ground, yet they felt no pain at all.

Why was its roar so harmless?

How come the shockwave didn't blow them away?

And why did the change in atmosphere stop expanding with the air stopped in place and not spread out everywhere? It was like the air followed its command like an ant colony.

Even the sand did not fly away, or the trees outrooted from the force.

**"rruurruu…"**

A growl was the only noise in the air.

"hawawawa…"

...minus the frightened rabbit who shouldn't even be here.

"…"

"As expected of sister. With your power to call upon the gods and its proven effectiveness to the enemy then the battle is already over before it began. Though I suppose the incoming drizzle will be a nuisance." Toyohime declared as if the matter had already concluded from this. Expecting that Yorihime had been the one who prevented any damage inflicted by the dragon. She frowned with her hand grabbing her hat for adjustments.

"…My power did not work…no when I called upon Isetsuhiko-no-Mikoto [1] to manipulate the wind and created a fortress…the wind shaped by that dragon's roar, Isetsuhiko had no influence over it. As if the element was transformedinto something else and passed through the fortress…" Her face hardened from the revelation that one of the gods she called upon to be completely useless against this foe.

Had that shockwave been lethal, she would've taken severe damage to her body and lungs. But for the wind to be harmless was almost as if the dragon was mocking her.

She felt humiliated. A misjudgment that could've costed her life. Anger burned in her heart with narrowed eyes. She wanted to hack the scales off the dragon.

"Oh my, one of the god's domain had been violated?"

Toyohime looked surprised for the first time since the battle started.

"…Sister, I'm making my move now. Don't interfere."

Bending her knees, Yorihime leaped towards the dragon and soared in inhumane speeds.

"…Rei'sen, what do the sensors have to say now?"

"E-every system has been running errors, the d-data is all over the place! T-they say there's b-been no change even if I expanded the s-search area!" In a mass of stuttering from the poor soul, she answered to the best of her abilities.

Expecting such a response, Toyohime returned her gaze back to the dragon with Yorihime's back in the center of her view. While still having confidence in her sister, she felt a hint of doubt in her heart and readied herself to interfere at any moment.

Reaching a well-rounded distance, Yorihime began her attack upon her vantage point in the air away from the new atmosphere.

"Now that you have revealed your hand, you face me now dragon!" Yorihime shouted out in rage. Her body was a distance away from the dragon's territory with her sword in her right hand, unsheathed and pointed towards the dragon. "I call upon Raijin!" [2]

Electricity sparked all around Yorihime in the sky. The dark clouds aided her as she became a lightning rod for them to channel and gift her more power than normal. This power had easily surpassed the Level 5 known as the Railgun back on Earth.

After confirming that she can control the thunder within the clouds, Yorihime relaxed her heart.

So far, the dragon has shown to be able to manipulate the wind. Physical and electrical attacks have no effect.

But what about divine thunder with the purpose to strike down evil from reaching the heavens?

"It wasn't wise to summon such a dense storm like this." Commented Yorihime. "I can call the gods to my body and borrow their power. No matter what field, difference in power, speed, or intelligence I can counter and gain an advantage in any situation."

Boasting the power she wielded, Yorihime, flourishing her sword created thunder from every cloud in the sky to strike the dragon. They covered the sky with narrow passages, impossible for the dragon to avoid.

Magic circles constructed to her sides, revolving around her body facing straight. They rapid fired orbs powered by her mana in a flash.

Some magic circles concentrated mana within them and fired railguns. They flew straight and solid, sizzling the air.

With both hands, she finished her combo by making sixteen swings of her sword in different directions with finesse at lightning speeds. And each slash generated a beautiful arc of thunder fired form her sword that danced towards the dragon.

Using divine thunder to attack the dragon at every direction as a method to find a hole in its phasing, the slashes were fired specifically at the horns, eyes, nose, fangs, neck, and sections of its bodies to net any different results.

The numerous thunders from the clouds and Yorihime's attacks bypassed the territory of the dragon and its armor of wind.

Everything was the same.

Not even attacks imbued with heavens divine might were able to brush its scales. Even when faced with omnidirectional attacks, the dragon was unharmed.

Several occurrences happened to the railguns. Some curved when getting close to the body and one curved towards the sea, blasting water in its path and creating tidal waves. Others stretched and phased through the body.

Her mind raced as she switched to other gods for an attack — each one synergizing with the magic circles around her to heighten their powers extraordinarily.

Divine fire said to burn anything.

Purify the dragon with blinding light.

Fire energy blasts that ignored distance.

Turn the water below into serpents that raced towards it.

Sealing it using barriers and compressing it.

Change the gravity to force it down.

Dozens of gods were used, and none was successful in harming the dragon. They either passed through or were deflected away from the dragon. Each method that was used by Yorihime were met with the same result.

Yorihime wore a dumbfounded face full of disbelief.

She deduced that natural and magical phenomena had no effect on the dragon. This wasn't simply the ability to phase through objects. It was almost as if it didn't have a physical body.

(Could it have something similar to that Miko's ability to float from reality? But what are the conditions for when the projectiles curve or phase through it?)

**"**_qin_**USELESS**_ere, por_**AEON**_min_**OF**_td_**ISIS**_lop.**"**_

Her eyes snapped open with such ferocity they might have made actual, audible sounds. A voice(?) entered her ears from nowhere.

Its gender was unclassifiable.

Its age was neither ancient nor youthful.

Its volume barely a whisper yet could be heard and perceived easily.

Its tone held no seriousness, but there was no casualness in it as well.

Extreme static rung from some of its words.

**"**_tf_**CAN'T**_vp_**HEAR**_go_**ME**_zo_**SO**_kq_**WELL?"**

Did it come from the dragon...No, it never turned its head to her, but she didn't feel like doubting that now. From what words she could barely perceive, it told her she was doing it wrong, wasting away energy fruitlessly. Not having many options to use, she needed a god who can attack beings that belonged outside of reality.

**'_Invoke me! That damn reptile! Showing its dreadful face in front of me yet again! Hurry up! Or else the Moon will be destroyed!'_**

Yorihime was stunned by the hateful voice from the god, cursing towards the leviathan. Could this dragon hold such power to trample the entire Capital under its tail? Not having enough time to ask questions, she called upon him to her body.

"Amatsu Mikaboshi! Dissolve to chaos!"

Black stars formed in Yorihime's magic circles and flashed towards the dragon. The sky was covered in black light. A beautiful star stream flew in lightspeed. The results were most welcoming as they made contact with the dragon. Smoke had arisen and covered the entirety of the dragon's body.

"Now that I have your attention answer me dragon, what your purpose is for coming to the moon."

Yorihime composed herself with bravado since she didn't believe for a second it was over yet. An opportunity for answers since she felt it ideal now then it was earlier with the dragon disabling most of her gods. With the recent god of evil and stars being knowledgeable and ready to fight it, she no longer felt apprehensive towards the dragon. Using a façade to try and make it take her words for consideration.

The smoke was cleared off, and Branch Horn was revealed to be unharmed, shocking Yorihime into a daze.

Finally, it turned its attention towards Yorihime, acknowledging her as a target. This reaction from the dragon had sent a cold tremble throughout Yorihime's spine, and her heartbeat hastened. Feeling it's gaze all over her body disabled her body systems slowly. Power poured from those narrowed slits. She gauged its power to be enough to split the moon in half. She had no proof of how accurate this assessment was, but their intensity promised doom upon her.

**"**_lk_**YOU'VE**_qp_**GROWN**_vd_**SOME**_mn_**BALLS**_xi, re_**FAILED**_ty_**MAGIC**_om_**GOD!"**

An enraged roar engulfed her body. It was like a stream of jackhammers being rained upon her body. The gusts assailing her didn't force her out of position, but it left her wide awake as her ponytail flew crazily.

**"**_tr_**SMUG**_as_**LITTLE**_gr_**SHITS**_lj_**LIKE**_vy_**YOU**_po_**DON'T**_fg_**HAVE**_sx_**THE**_ql_**RIGHT**_re_**TO**_ds_**BARE**_th_**THEIR**_nm_**FANGS**_yu_**TOWARDS**_wl_**ME!"**

Ignoring her words, the dragon retaliated, its eyes giving away its intentions.

On reflex, Yorihime quickly switched to Uzume no Mikoto who specialized in agility.

Its movements became a blur. The dragon retaliated by moving its tail above Yorihime and out of its territory, an overhead tail whip. Yorihime's heartbeat accelerated even further from the speed of its movements which surpassed whatever power gifted to her by her current god.

"Kuh! *SMACK* Kyaaah!"

Despite her boost, the speed of the tail didn't leave Yorihime enough room to avoid it, so she blocked it with her sword. Barely timing her sword to block the tail before it reached her, she switched to a god meant for defense, bracing for the impact and was sent flying down with a cry. She righted herself in the air just in time before she made a crater on the beach.

"Sister!" Toyohime called out to her, worry evident in her voice. She flew right towards her and picked her up for stabilizing.

"I'm fine!" She growled out lowly at her sister. Blood trickled down her forehead. She didn't bother to turn her head back as the dragon could resume its attacks at any moment. Her body ached in pain traveling down her toes. "This is nothing! The battle hasn't even begun, and I haven't tried everything yet! Damage like this can be recovered!"

Telling herself that she can still fight even after being met with its gaze and roar head-on, whether it was pride or stupidity it was difficult to say.

"…Alright, but you be extra careful this time. Don't let yourself get carried away and be more vigilant. It hasn't revealed its true power." Toyohime advised. "Luckily, it doesn't seem to want to continue its attack. Rei'sen! What did the sensors have to say for all that?"

"B-by sequence, the thunder was detected, and the numbers don't contradict what was seen! H-However, the railguns don't indicate any signs of curving; they were straight lines! Everything else after continued to move from their initial trajectory and right through the dragon!

Yorihime and Toyohime were stumped.

Had they heard what Rei'sen said to be wrong? How can so much misinformation be recorded from their advanced lunar technology?

"A-and the black stars which were divine in nature was detected by the sensors, s-so when the lights landed on the dragon the monitors should have shown the lights stopping in place to outline the dragon's body here!"

"Should?"

"Should?"

Yorihime and Toyohime questioned at the same time in puzzlement. If the black lights made contact, then the sensors would obviously record them stopping in place and reveal the dragon's body.

"T-they said the stars moved in a straight line too! They passed through the dragon the whole time! There are no indications either to say that the stars were hitting something solid!"

"What!?" Yorihime retorted in stupefaction. "I've seen with my own eyes up close that my attack did touch the dragon!"

"But for now, what we do know is that the dragon isn't invincible." Toyohime interjected in order to prevent Yorihime from losing her temper.

"*Sigh* Yes that's true...and the battle will be easier from here on." Yorihime said, finally calming down with renewed confidence.

"Ah. It's because of Mikaboshi-sama's power correct? He was always so reliable at times like these. Well? What was the spell he provided this time?"

Time and time again, Amatsu Mikaboshi had always had a way with magic that he could put most magic-based gods on the moon to shame at times.

"The moment Amatsu Mikaboshi's attack landed, its ability to phase through everything had ended. The stars had a brand effect on them so our attacks can finally reach the damn lizard. Look. Its tail having touched my sword has allowed Lord Gion's power to seal its movements." Just as she said, swords were protruded from the scales of its tail; its body movements showed traces of slowed movements.

"How splendid! That means that you don't need to only use a god to bypass its defense, but now you can use one that counters it!" Toyohime was ecstatic. The battle was on even grounds now.

"That's right, that means all attacks are fair game. As long as I find the right god, the dragon will be of little concern from then on." Yorihime had returned to her confident demeanor. Positive that there exists a god that is a natural counter to the dragon. 'The two of you watch over the battle and continue to find any more details about the dragon."

"Oh, but before you go off, we need to make an appropriate name for it at least. It feels a bit inadequate to refer to it as dragon-sama." Toyohime returned to her previous playful tone to try to lighten the tension.

Yorihime scoffed at her. "Why would that be important? We don't need to get any more familiar with someone from earth, especially an enemy. If that's all the quibbling you want, then I'm going now." Yorihime flew towards the heavenly figure and into the battle once more.

A feeling sprouted in her heart, one she couldn't identify as she neared the dragon. But it was overshadowed by the burning hatred she felt. So before reaching within a reasonable distance, she switched to a god to calm her heart from its intense beating.

Taking the time to measure the distance between her and the newly formed atmosphere, she confronts the dragon once more.

Just to play safe, Yorihime repeated the same attack with Amatsu Mikaboshi.

**_'Fucking piece of shit! I'll kill youuuuuuuuuuuuuu!'_**

The attacks landed successfully, only because the dragon didn't bother to avoid them. With each hit, the more its body will be susceptible to her attacks.

Deciding to switch to close quarter combat since long-distance attacks left no damage at all, she flew head on towards the dragon in neck-breaking speed.

She pressed a switch on a bracelet she wore, and a suit covered her body. Entering its territory without protection would be foolish.

(Hah? What joke is this? Even behind this helmet… I can tell the air is non-poisonous to my body. There's nothing impure about it. This bastard's disgusting territory of air on the purity of the moon's atmosphere has no pressure behind it. And the aura of wind acting its armor…I feel no force behind it either.)

Thinking back, the gust from its roar should have carried air from its territory, yet it wasn't lethal, and the purity of the moon was unaffected.

Just what was it planning with all this air?

Suspecting this to be a trap, she took her time to examine the atmosphere around her. Staying vigilant, she switched to a god that automatically purifies her. Sending the suit back to her bracelet she resumed her actions of approaching the dragon's head.

Their eyes crossed one another. Staring at each other's faces with such proximity her heart which should have reached maximum velocity ascended to a new height.

**'_Calm down! It's just another serpent I can kill! It's nothing different from Orochi so hurry up and call me!'_**

Susano-no-Mikoto yelled in her head. Her mind jolted, and her eyes regained their clarity when an immense power coursed throughout her body. Yes, with Susano's power channeled inside her that has slain the Orochi, this dragon will perish beneath her blade.

Immense power coursed all over her body flaring in a blue aura. The blessing was even more effective under this storm. She was now the natural enemy of dragons.

Dragonslayer.

Her sword glowed and a light blue construct of the blade extended out in length and thickness. Watery tendrils surrounded it like a dragon spiral to the tip.

She burst into motion and left shockwaves behind. Yorihime's fears a moment ago vanished when she edged closer and closer to its head.

"Haaaaah!"

With a roar, she slashed her sword at its forehead. The giant blade raised above to split the dragon's skull in half. Its brilliance was blinding.

*SHING-*

Not feeling that motivated, Branch Horn didn't bother to dodge it.

*BONK! *

The collision was anticlimactic.

The sound was dull, like a metal bat hitting cement.

The force behind the sword had enough power to rival an asteroid.

To make matters worse, it failed to leave any marks on the dragon's head or cut through its scales.

She and the god residing in her were shocked with Susano's mouth agape. Gagging sounds could be heard in her head.

Branch Horn whipped its head at her way to fling her off of it like she was a pebble that landed on its snout — shaking its body like a dog to get rid of water in its fur.

Jumping back a little further from where she was thrown off, the fear returned to her eyes. They were shaking rapidly from side to side. She devised a new battle strategy as she tried to calm down by breathing in a measured manner.

(Fine, so overwhelming it with power is worthless. Time to resort to _that_ while it's careless!)

Taking off again, she flew in a different direction to go behind its head. She darted her eyes away from its face and continued passing behind its head with the dragon's eyes following her. She felt fidgety and could tell that there were goosebumps all over her skin.

The dragon made no effort to move its body, not because the sword restraints prevented all its movement; it just decided not to for some reason again.

Maybe it was boredom. Perhaps it was confidence. Who knows.

Sending out a roar again, she stabbed her sword at its neck and failed to pierce the scales. Expecting this, she flew and dragged her sword all the way around its body to its tail. Now swords were protruding everywhere around the dragon's body.

Not finished yet, she called for a god to summon thick amounts of Shimenawa ropes to tie all over its body. Yes, to immobilize all its body movements, she can capture it and end the invasion.

"I may not be able to kill you, but I most definitely can seal you! Yorihime shouted out in triumph and flew back in front of its face.

The dragon, however, felt no apprehension in being wrapped. Its eyes glowed an eerie light that Yorihime's heart stopped. The dragon was utterly relaxed, and there was not a single hint of desperation on its body.

The impossible simply occurred. With the most minimal amounts of effort on its part, the ropes and swords were ripped apart from winding its body a little.

Yorihime's eye shrank to their utmost ability. She backed away in the face of the disaster being freed from all of its restraints. She had lost all her previous bravado at this moment, and doubts plagued her mind. She was thoroughly convinced that she lacked any means on her part to contest with the dragon.

The dragon made its move again. Yorihime recalling what happened last time created more distance between her and the dragon. Flying away backward, she stared and observed the dragon once again.

The already chaotic field had turned up the tempo. Rain began to fall in high-speed torrents everywhere, whirlpools the size of baseball fields emerged, the sky had darkened even further, and thunder crackled in the clouds with noise so unbearable enough to destroy a normal person's eardrums in seconds.

The tempestuous atmosphere now became a real hell zone.

Yorihime struggled under the heavy drizzle in wet clothes and switched to a god that made water avoid her body. Despite her new resistance, none of the rain made themselves avoid her, crashing into her body with full force, tiring her body away and draining her stamina, leaving her to limp on the spot.

Another of the god's domain had been violated, and she felt powerless for the first time in her life.

Was the rain somehow different? Just what was its makeup to ignore the domain of a god?

The dragon coiled its body into a spiral facing towards the heavens. Wind and water followed suit as they flowed around the dragon, creating a hurricane that shrouded the dragon's body.

Yorihime had switched to dozens of gods to get a hold of either the water molecules, wind, or the thunder to prevent and disable the dragon's windup attack. Yet each god failed her, and she learned that the thunder and water she controlled earlier wouldn't respond to her command anymore.

She tried switching to gods that used fire, purification, gravity, stone and many other gods. Each one still responded properly, and she fired bullets and blasts at the dragon. The bullets and energy blasts failed to bypass the hurricane being ripped apart by it. They interfered with the wind and water, but only slightly like a human trying to lift a continent. The force of the wind was so strong that they canceled out her gravity fields. The distance defying attack worked but failed to even to scratch a single scale from the dragon.

With nothing at her disposal to turn the situation around, she took the time to review what she learned so far about the dragon. The dragon's powers so far are to manipulate water, wind, thunder and possibly the weather hypothetically. She wasn't sure it being outside of reality was an ability or an inherent trait. It most likely exists in a different dimension, and so are its physical attacks. Nothing of physical or magical phenomena could touch it, and it can touch anything like how it smacked her with its tail, a contradiction.

The wind rotations had no indication of stopping in speed. The atom vibrations in the air following chaos theory had produced plasma mixed into the hurricane. Seawater was being swallowed up that there was a hole in the ocean with the moon's surface being visible. And sand from the beaches was sucked in, melting and turning into glass.

The air was deadly with glass cutting into everything, shredding past clothes and skin in absurd speeds. The height and danger level of the storm rising.

The rabbits from the distance were stabbing their guns into the ground and clutching them to dear life.

The range of the suction force expanded so much, the area beyond the sea had the ground terraformed. Cracks spread throughout, and trees and stone started to float in the air. Some rabbits were unlucky to be dragged along as well. They put up shields and barriers to minimize damage from the flying glass.

Yorihime tried to stay straight in the air in desperation. She augmented her surrounding gravity to be repellent from the hurricane and rain so that she doesn't get pulled in. She still felt the pulling force since it was directed almost everywhere and overpowered her control of gravity.

She could use Ishikori-dome no Mikoto [3] to summon the Yata Mirror and reflect everything. But that would leave everything besides her front defenseless.

"Nrgh! Gyaah!" Yorihime grunted from the pressure piling on her body. She was stuck in place with no escape. The wind slowly pulling her into the hurricane.

"Sister!" Toyohime cried and rushed towards her. A worried face laced with nervousness all over her with how the incident escalated to this point under their supervision.

She left behind Rei'sen and ordered for her retreat and rescue of the other rabbits.

Toyohime used her powers to manipulate the boundary between the scientific and fantastic versions of the moon to send the wind, rain, and glass around her to the airless scientific side. Some had returned over to their side without explanation though.

"There's nothing I can do to prevent its storm from being completed…" Yorihime spoke to her sister listlessly in a pale face. The dragon had inflicted fear onto her body.

"At times like this, you can always rely on your big sister…I'll take control now." Toyohime reassured her sister in a gentle tone.

"Sister…"

"You can't call upon more than one god at the same time. And your attacks do not have enough power behind them to harm the dragon or stop it. But I do" Toyohime clapped her fan onto her palm with steel in her body.

(How dare you humiliate my sister to this extent. Unforgivable.)

Toyohime snapped her eyes at the dragon within the hurricane. There was none of the initial warmth and reverence on her face. Rage in its place for bullying her sister and a foreboding emotion crept into her for destroying the moon to this degree.

(Focusing on the hurricane won't do much. Getting rid of it will mean the dragon can resummon it again with ease. Therefore, eliminating the dragon comes first, and the hurricane will follow its demise. With my power, I'll link a path ignoring everything between me and the dragon. Then it will face the full brunt of my fan.)

Hatching a plan with the crucial steps in such a short timeframe befitted her the family name of Watatsuki.

Her power allowed her to link "the sea and mountain." It sounded specific, but it allows her to travel anywhere. For example, with the Moon being the "sea" and Gensokyo being the "mountain," she can throw a rock from the moon to the earth, and travel to Gensokyo instantly.

(The Moon is the "sea," and the dragon is the "mountain!")

Linking the two together was successful. But what she didn't account for was what was happening in the eye of the hurricane. The centripetal force was so great that in the eye of the hurricane, gravity was being distorted. Space and time itself were being bent and grinded down, ready to burst at any moment. With the very Moon being connected to the dragon now, the Moon was shaking, experiencing earthquakes at random. The force of space and time being grinded hasn't reached its maximum velocity, so the earthquakes were mild. And seawater from a distance which was unaffected by the influence of the hurricane until now was flying towards it.

Horror painted the sister's faces instantly upon witnessing the Moon shaking everywhere they look.

Toyohime wasted no time while the link was present. She raised her fan above her head.

"Perish, dragon!" Toyohime roared as she swiped her fan downwards at the dragon.

A blinding light came forth from the fan purifying everything on the atomic level in its way. It banished all darkness, burning away the existence of shadows. The light streaked across the link and covered the dragon's body. The eyes of the Watatsuki sisters held hope that the attack would erase the dragon or at least make it stop the hurricane.

When the light died down, they were scared out of their wits. Fear and confusion settled into their eyes on their pale faces.

The dragon did not show any outward reaction to her attack. The power behind it was negligible and not a scratch was present on its pristine body.

"Wha…but how…is there truly nothing we could do to end all this chaos…" Toyohime stammered with visible tremble on her lips. Her arm carrying the fan dropped dead without spirit.

She quickly ended the link between the moon and the dragon to stop any further chaos. Now they could only wait for the inevitable.

"Sister…stand behind me with the Yata mirror…use your powers to send everything around us to the scientific side of the moon…I'll make sure we survive this…" Yorihime strained to speak in a slow fashion as she looked towards the living disaster in front of her in despair.

* * *

The winds continued to rotate. The hurricane expanded in width by one thousand miles now. A turbulent storm has completely invaded the moon.

Rei'sen caught up with the other rabbit soldiers about three minutes in their retreat and rescue of the rabbits in the air. They didn't dare to fly in fear that the winds would catch them. So, they used ropes which the rabbits in the air would tie around themselves and the rabbits on land would group up and pull them down. They all experienced an earthquake where some lost control of their legs from the sudden tremor and had to be carried. They continued in their march back to their military camps.

Many were moved to the medical camps and were looked after by the able-bodied. Everybody was distributing food and water in stock.

(What should I do? Who do I speak to for assistance?)

Confirming the safety of her fellow rabbits in the military base and communicating with them using ESP waves which still worked albeit poorly the more distance there was between them. Rei'sen questioned to herself as a leading soldier of the frontlines on what her duty must be at this moment.

(I need to stay here so that when everybody is treated, I can assist in carrying them to the capital. It would also be in duty to find someone and report all of this too. Maybe I can get in reach with Sagume-sama…)

But what of the Watatsuki sisters? She had witnessed one of them to be utterly outclassed by the dragon no matter what god she housed. The other had decided to join the other to fight, and she wasn't around to see it. Since the storm outside is still persisting, then the dragon is still alive.

Are they still alive?

Are they dead?

Are they still fighting?

Do they need to be rescued when things get worse?

Rei'sen could not decide what to do. To stay on duty and be loyal by continuing to retreat with everybody back to the capital. Or disobey her orders from Toyohime and return to the field to forfeit her life.

(Yorihime-sama and Toyohime-sama were the ones to take me in after I committed the crime of retreating to the Earth…but my fellow rabbits accepted me immediately, even after knowing my story…)

Moving on to the command center she and the rest tried contacting Lord Sagume for assistance and waited with bated breath. Static transmitted all over the giant screen. It would take an unknown amount of time for a connection when she learned that communication using the technology in the base weren't working properly. There was no telling how long it would take for communications to grab hold.

The mood of the room was palpable. Depression and despair were easy to find their way among the hopelessness of the situation. Going to the capital while shouldering the wounded under the storm was unpredictable. The geography must have been changed, so the path leading them will be unrecognizable. Nobody from the Capital will take the effort to come and save them either.

Everybody back at the capitals held high expectations of the defense corps. For the Watatsuki sisters to lead them, they were the symbol of security. They couldn't imagine the two to ever be defeated. But reality told the rabbits otherwise. They witnessed from far away that Yorihime was powerless. And since the storm continued to exist, Toyohime couldn't finish it off either.

There was also the concern of whether or not the guards will accept them into the capital, knowing that they were retreating from an invasion. They could easily pass them off as traitors for leaving a rampaging invader unsupervised without the words of their captains. They were rabbits, after all, having the lowest ranking in the capital. They were also the type to be more susceptible to impurity since they can die easily relative to the gods on the moon.

To go back means to fight the dragon with their captains. To return to the capital just meant to be turned away and banished. Both meant death one way or another.

They were trapped. Their last fortress of defense was actually their grave.

None wished to be left behind in a fortress in the middle of nowhere to die a dog's death with no one to remember them.

They cried and scampered all over the base. Their screams and cries resounding and echoing under the base.

Every rabbit inside sent out stress signals using EMP waves in synchronization.

"Screw the moon I'm moving to earth…"

* * *

"Yorihime-chan" Toyohime addressed her sister in desperation. "I took Rei'san's sensor before she took off. If there is even a possibility for the monitor to show anything different, there might be a way to avert our current predicament."

"Well…go ahead and…check!" Yorihime groaned while she struggled to keep her strength and housing Ishikori in her body to wield the Yata mirror in front of them. Her arms outstretched with one palm wide open behind the blade in front with the other holding the sword.

"Let's see…none of this makes sense…" Toyohime simply stated with misery dripping her voice. Feeling hopeless once more, she read it in haste everywhere on the screen to detect any anomaly beside the lack of a dragon on-screen.

"Well? What does it say now!?" Yorihime demanded, bracing herself to hear the dreadful news to come.

"There's still no response. Everything is still invisible on the monitors. When I pointed the camera on the dragon, its shadow isn't seen behind the hurricane." Toyohime spoke the information in a professional fashion even when being surrounded by certain destruction. But the response came off mechanically and non-spirited.

"Then…all this wind, rain, thunder, the glass, and dragon are still not showing on the sensors…"

"There is still nothing shown…all we can see is its abnormal gravitational field expanding." Toyohime bit her lips, reluctant to accept this.

"Everything could be easily explained as an illusion…but we suffered from the wind, rain, and glass…our attacks worked …"

"The rabbits have suffered together with us…he is real, and his power is tangible." Toyohime tried her best to convince her sister of the impossible in front of them, betraying her desire to reject it as well.

The rifts in the hurricane were being compressed now. The flying glass, wind, water, and plasma compressed and fused around the center of the circumference made of the dragon's body. Its underbelly flat horizontally and positioned in a spiral.

"Ah ha ha ha…how is this possible…what does this mean?" Toyohime's voice suddenly became subdued with mania, and eyes turned listless. A half-smile on her face from learning of something frightful.

"S-sister! Talk to me! What is the matter?" Yorihime tried to console her sister. Being alert to her change in tone, her sharp awareness returned to her.

"How did I did ignore this…our life signs…they aren't there anymore…" The light from her eyes died out. The foreign feeling of fear for her life taking over her heart.

"...! S-So…we're…dead? H-Hey now Sister! All of this is just a horrible dream we're having! R-Right!? Once that Baku has stopped slacking, we can go back to the capital for peach picking for lunch! Just like how we've always done!" Yorihime in deliriousness couldn't rationally accept this, lest it shatters her mind.

(How can our life signs be blank? We are Lunarians, we are immortals on the moon. Is it true that death's embrace has reached us?)

While their minds were full of questions, the time for the hurricane to detonate has arrived.

The first change was complete silence everywhere.

The motion of everything had stopped in place.

Then the clouds and hurricane were warped and sucked into the center of the eye, perfecting itself into the shape of an hourglass.

The two halves of the hurricane gained the appearances of tunnels belonging to a wormhole. They completely converged themselves into the eye, a bubble of darkness with a visible nebula.

Slowly the sphere shrank, shrank, shrank, shrank, shrank, shrank, shrank, shrank, shrank, shrank, shrank, shrank, shrank, shrank, shrank, shrank, shrank, shrank, shrank until it was no longer visible.

The dragon flew around it in a circular motion by the shape of the sphere.

Detonation.

The sound was subtle, a single bang from a common firecracker.

A soft wind flowed from every direction. The gentle breeze traveled around the moon five times over.

Blades of wind together with pressurized streams of water traveled outwards from the bubble as it burst. A spherical field rotated in a clockwise _and _counterclockwise fashion. Reality was sliced and diced with space creating a picture of the sky reflected in broken glass

Growing in range and magnitude, the earth was blotted out from view.

The sisters didn't need to understand the mechanics behind the field. They only needed to know that it was laced with death. Slowly, the blades were approaching and them having limited movement already determined the outcome.

"KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

Yorihime and Toyohime screamed out together as the blades and water reached them. They were not shredded apart by the blades but received white cracks all over their bodies instead. Not even Ishikori was spared as her mirror was ineffective for the first time in its existence. The legendary mirror believed to able to reflect anything was useless. Terror-stricken, they felt extreme pain as blood spurted out from the cracks.

Their cracked-filled bodies were blown away as Ishikori vanished and the two sisters were separated, flying in different directions. No sound was transmitted to their ears. The field of white which had the speed to surpass the sound barrier broke no barriers. The laws of the void enveloping them had warmth despite the unbearable pain wrecking their bodies. They edged closer to the unconscious as they floated within the absolute whiteness of the new world.

* * *

"AHA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!" Maniacal laughter roared out in the once airless space of the moon. Or more precisely, the Near Side of the moon the Earth views every day. "Are you experiencing this Chang'e!? A calamity has befallen your beloved Capital!

"*Whistle* I knew some crazy shit was gonna happen either from Gensokyo or be the cause of one, but I never imagined THIS." A grin adorned itself on the beautiful face of a blonde beside the laughing maniac.

The laughter and arms outstretched in front belonged to a mature woman with long, orange hair reaching her waist, and red eyes. The dress of the mature woman is a Chinese outfit of red and yellow tabard with a red sash over a wide-sleeved black dress. On top of her head is a black Phoenix crown denoting her former status of royalty. This women's identity is simply Junko, a divine spirit whose pure soul exceeds that of a lunarian or youkai.

Her blonde friend with red eyes next to her is Hecatia Lapislazuli, a goddess of hell. She is quite modern-looking as she sports a short, three-colored, plaid skirt, a black t-shirt worn off her shoulders with the message "Welcome Hell" with a heart in the center of the two words complete with a pair of boots. She also wears a collar with chains attached, each one leading to an orb of a celestial body. The two on her hands represent the Earth and Moon, and the third crimson orb sitting on her head represents the Otherworlds.

The duo was viewing the destruction of the lunar capital in the Far Side of the moon from their vantage point. The distance would've been impossible for them to see the capital, but such a trivial detail meant nothing to a goddess of magic as well. All Hecatia had to do was enhance their eyesight, and the prime destruction was available to them.

At the Capital, disaster lay sieged from all over its perimeter. From around the capital was a tempestuous flood everywhere they saw.

Mesmerizing seawater surrounded the capital at heights of five kilometers. Waiting for the opportune moment to engulf and swallow it whole. The only measure that separated the two was a barrier, a last resort defense system.

Panic reverberated all over as the inhabitants scrambled all over the pavements. They never expected a day like this would come where a tsunami from all fronts would crush their city. Black-outs occurred everywhere simultaneously. Only a few sources of light survived. Numerous gods activated their own sources of light by utilizing magic and technology.

It was somewhat ironic, their advanced city with perhaps the greatest defense in comparison to the Earth now became their prison.

Anything entering and leaving the barrier was impossible except for a few who possessed special privileges. Those few still wouldn't escape without knowing any adverse effects the water would have on them. Some had thrown a few scraps and machinery into the sea, and nothing dangerous occurred, but this didn't mean it would be the same for organic beings. The brave and courageous who volunteered and dived into the flood was forced back into their cage, knocking them out from the force.

Nobody had ever expected this. It was unimaginable for a perfect strike of this magnitude to occur at the same time they were defenseless. Now, they can only wait as the sea traps them with no outside help being possible. Not that there was anybody from the outside who would be willing to help them from the start.

A dome free of water was closing itself the more the surface of the sea rise. It was inevitable that the capital will become a temple at the bottom of the sea. There was no direct source for where all this water came from, not when using their sensors. Above the dome and surface of the sea, a rampaging storm crashed everywhere under a tremendous amount of sinister clouds.

"Oho~? From the sound and familiarity in your voice, are you aware of the one who has done this magnificent display?" Junko took her eyes off the capital for a moment to address her friend. Her jubilant tone never losing its liveliness.

"I wish. I never met him personally, but rumor is that he's the senior of Ryūjin, or more precisely his idol and source from which he was born." Hecatia was simply giddy with the brazen and dominant actions of the Branch Horn dragon. Clapping the entire time when she watched its battle with the Watatsuki.

Their conversation was cut short as they snapped their eyes back to the capital when a pitch-black singularity appeared and expanded itself on top of the dome. The sheer size of it was dominating the barrier. The latter, however, stood its ground as it endured the abnormal gravitational field of the singularity.

"Why don't we start some funeral rites for the poor souls encaged in their city? Though I doubt their bodies will be preserved. They'll have to be fortunate enough for their corpses to remain floating under the sea. The least we can do is throw some 'Charon's Obol' on their way to the River Styx~" Hecatia snickered in anticipation. Her eyes were full of spirit and stimulation as she licked her lips sensually with a finger to the tip.

* * *

"Why...why has this disaster befallen us!?" A voice deep in anguish and tears looked over the capital from his vantage point on top of a skyscraper. "Aaaaaaah! Why!? Where do we go from this!?" His cries unanswered.

It was Tsukuyomi howling out his pain for his beautiful city he and his family worked hard to build. His tears ran down his pale skin and threatened to drench his black haori and white hakama in royal ornaments of gold and purple with a glass mirror shaped like the crescent moon behind his back inside a sphere wooden casing and tied with a rope to around his body. His dazzling long, black, moonlight hair fluttered in the wind, encapturing his otherworld beauty. From an earthling's perspective, he looked like he was in his teens with his pretty boy face.

"Tsukuyomi-sama!" Sagume flew up above the skyscraper and landed in a kneeling position to address the sage. In her hands is a sensor she acquired at the Observatory which she presented to him. "The men at work have developed an update to the system, with this we finally discern everything about the water around us and the darkness up above."

"Well don't start dallying, get to it!" Tsukuyomi bellowed his order with rage, sorrow, and resentment. Sagume fumbled the device in her hand from his voice and shakingly started it up.

"From above there's an abnormal gravity wave, and space-time is breaking!" From the startup and beeping of the device, it scanned in real time and made to bear witness of their executioner. "The monitor signals are looping for the past five minutes despite it starting its life up a few moments ago!"

"I-it can't be! None of this is explainable! Impossible! It's impossible!" Tsukuyomi clutched his head and scratched it in lunacy. His eyes were bloodshot.

"I-I'm receiving a distress signal! It's coming from Yorihime!" Sweating under the pressure, a signal was received, and she called out to Tsukuyomi.

"Hurry and pick it up!" Lifting his head and leveling it with Sagume, he ordered her to respond immediately.

"We got contact with the princess on the monitor! Y-Yorihime-sama!? Why are you covered in blood!? Where are you!? How are you in the waters!?" When she saw Yorihime on the screen, she was lying on the ground and holding her monitor on the sand with blood everywhere.

"I-I'm on the seabed of the Sea of Tranquility...I don't know what you mean by that last part, but the water here is non-lethal... L-listen, Get Tsukuyomi-sama out of the capital by any means necessary! Forget about me, understood!? There's a carrier at the location I'm sending you; it has the functionality to swim inside any sea level!" Her voice transmitted to them was coarse, needing an immense amount of effort to utter them.

An eerie sound reverberated everywhere on the moon, like lightning being used as a back-scratcher. From the border of the singularity, a serpentine figure slithered out and its head traveling towards the top of the barrier. It was the Brach Horn dragon, and its jaw was unleashed. The two on top of the skyscraper watched in horror from its encroachment. Tsukuyomi gaped with his mouth wide open while Sagume audaciously grabbed him and flew away from their spot to save him and escape the inevitable destruction of the capital.

Blades of air and jet streams of water converged themselves in front of the dragon's open jaws. As if it was in concentration, the mass of elements saturated with intensity. The completely dark eyes of the dragon were absorbed into its gold slits, revealing a whiteness under all that darkness. The supercharged mass of elements transformed into a giant, supersonic spear that was launched and aimed at the very top of the dome.

***CRASH***

The force was extraordinary as the barrier trembled. The area of impact had aftershock force dispersing all over the dome. It traveled outwards into the surface of the sea, pushing waves apart and away. As the spear dissipated, the image of the barrier was crystallized. The texture and appearance were reminiscent of turquoise ice. Innumerable colors painted on its surface from reflecting light.

From a normal view, the barrier had survived the blast. In truth, the barrier was destroyed and in its place was a crystallized replacement shaped by the former barrier. The cage was now a snow globe.

Casually, the dragon stuck its jaw to the surface of the dome and crushed it — an opened rip in the sky within the views of the Lunarians. The sky beyond the canopy was an abyss where stars were devoured, and light failed to escape.

The sea rebounded from the force of the spear earlier and flew downwards into the capital. A mixture of intense gusts and torrential downpours crashed into the capital and its inhabitants.

The reaction was immediate. The Lunarians responded by launching hundreds of millions of blasts aimed at the visible dragon above and centered in the abyss. Now that they recognized the source of the calamity, they fired without mercy.

Giant magic circles, Thick Bullets, Divine Punishment, Demonic sigils, Hand Constructs, Weapons, Dolls, Elements, all sorts of legendary attacks were used in coordination. Myriad colors blitzed through the rip in the sky. Overwhelming firepower and brilliant tactics were utilized in conjunction with the onslaught of power well-deserving of god-like. Some even flew up above the canopy to attack directly.

"DIE!"

"PERISH!"

"OVERGROWN REPTILE! BEGONE!"

"BY MY LAW I ORDER YOU TO SCREW OFF!"

Everything soared like a meteor shower. Fireworks and beams complimented the flying stream.

And all failed to touch the dragon above them all. Not a single one grazed its magnificent scales.

The fools who got too close had earned the tendrils of water from the cliffs reaction and whipped them down, back into the cage where they got knocked out in the process.

There was something incompatible about the dragon with them all. A mistranslation, an equation that was inherently unequal from every method of calculation. It was the same as being asked if you could imagine a color you can't think of. And then you had to do that ten times.

Even if they couldn't understand the intricacies in to "how" the dragon works they tested to see if a method simply "works." And no matter how many years of advanced calculations and observations they used, whether millions, billions, or even until the death of the universe, none of it will ever get some sort of reaction.

The eruption of power didn't just phase through the dragon; some were devoured and sucked into its jaws. As if the hundreds of millions of powers having a will of their own simply accepted their demise.

Bodhisattvas compiled together into a giant Buddha head. It launched itself with its mouth wide open at speeds of a missile. Its intentions were to seal and crush the dragon in its mouth.

The dragon didn't budge from its position.

If one had a legendary trained eye, they might've noticed the traces of amusement in its facial expression.

The Buddha's head reached from where the dragon was outside the dome and enclosed it right inside its mouth. Immediately its pair of teeth closed themselves as the air blew away, aimed at the dragon's neck to bite off its head.

*CRUNCH*

Physical contact! A new development occurred.

But not in favor of the Lunarians.

The Buddha's head cried out in agony as its face contorted in pain. The teeth landing on the scales of the dragon shattered like brittle coal. The lips were ripped from the bouncing force as the tear traveled across until it stopped at its forehead.

Denying the Buddha head from having the chance to recuperate from the pain, the dragon slithered in speeds that the giant head couldn't react to. It traveled inside its mouth and destroyed a path to the top.

The dragon head burst out from the right eye of the Buddha's head and reentered its left eye. Finishing it off, the dragon next burst out from the bottom of its neck.

No response came afterword's from the giant head. It glowed for a few moments until it exploded in a fantastic and bright fashion. Bodhisattvas blew away and fell in disgrace back inside the crystal dome below.

"H-huh…!?"

"Wh…!?"

"I-impossible…!"

"No way…"

Befuddlement, bafflement, rejection, disbelief.

All Lunarians without exception experienced fear for the unknown. Fear embraced them, as it bloated from the incomprehensible madness in the sky. Their minds halted for a moment, failing to process the necessary information to accept the absurdity before them.

The Branch Horn roared. Its shockwaves destroyed every magic circle, every laser, and blast in the air, sending every airborne Lunarian to the ground in prostrating positions unwillingly.

Everyone gave out heartrending cries, and the dragon merely watched.

There was no rage covered in madness, nor did it smile with scorn, nor did it feel any guilt.

There was no sympathy for their plight — no compassion to be felt from its gaze. A person wouldn't exert the most minimalist of effort to judge an insect on the ground.

* * *

Junko trembled slightly from her spot as she bore witness to the rapid pace of events. She felt fear and reverence towards the dragon. Gratitude and unparalleled joy laid within the bottom of her heart. Unaware that beneath even further were feelings of pity and emptiness from the prospect that her vengeance will end here by the hands of another instead of her own.

"Whew~, just what exactly did they do to piss him off? I've only heard of the rumors of his power, but I didn't expect this." Hecatia observed with her grin perfectly in place. The entertainment in front of her was simply fantastic. "This bullying-I mean, entertainment is fascinating, but we gotta make sure we don't get in the crossfires."

"Hey~o, over here! I got the food and drinks for the party!" A new voice joined the group

Stepping away into the distance, they found a new safe spot to view the ongoing chaos. Complete with popcorn, pizza, and coke delivered by Hecatia's blue-haired body from Earth. She joined in on the fun where they sat down on a coach, kick back, and leaning into it with their eyes focused on the continuation of the movie.

* * *

Sagume and Tsukuyomi had moved away from the sight with the former delivering him to the carrier inside a warehouse with the carrier large enough to house 20 people inside. After the call between Yorihime had ended, they noticed the transmission they got a hold of started 20 minutes into the future, dropping an ice-cold chill down their spines with their bodies drenched from the rain and sweat.

During the time they took escaping, the rest of the Lunarians banded together in a last-ditch effort. On their last legs, they resorted to their final trump card. Those with considerable willpower positioned themselves with a clear purpose. They carried and flew with their fellow Lunarians like schools of fishes to their designated roles.

A giant summoning circle.

It was utterly ridiculous to even attempt such a move so late and one considerable time-consuming. The only reason they could do so was the nonchalant attitude the Branch Horn carried itself. Observing them all like it was raising a goldfish inside a fishbowl.

Branch Horn knew they had a trump card such as this. It also knew exactly what they were trying to summon, anticipating for his arrival.

Enough time was allowed for the completion of the circle reinforced by hundreds of thousands of smaller circles that built it. The sound of chanting in rapid tongues subsequently echoed all around the inside of the dome.

A pale blue holographic shape materialized. It was reptilian and in equal size to the Branch Horn.

Uwawatatsumi, the upper sea, and head of a dragon

Two white whiskers to command the ocean. A white beard befitting a sage. A ferocious face that chills rampaging onis. Yellow eyes that churn the stomachs of tigers with abyssal black pupils. Fangs to crush mountains. And golden horns to summon thunder.

Nakawatatsumi, the middle sea, and body of a dragon

The crimson carapace of the pleura. A deep, ocean-scaled body to sweep the sea. Flying pectoral wings creating hurricanes with the slightest movement. And ashen lava coating the wings to quell volcanoes.

Sokowatatsumi, the bottom sea, and rear of the dragon

A tail that encompasses the heavens. Shimmering webbings that perfectly reflect the colors of the rainbow. And a golden tail fin that parts the atmosphere.

Ōwatatsumi no kami.

The tutelary of the sea according to the Kojiki, also known as Watatsumi. And the reigning dragon of the Dragon King's Palace in the lunar capital.

Dragon vs. Dragon.

Bubbling forth into reality, Watatsumi roared to banish away the sea covering the capital.

It did not listen.

Confused, Watatsumi raised his head and peered into the abyss. In his eyes reflected the evil smile of the Branch Horn.

From the horror of that smile, almost every person inside the capital passed out.

For Watatsumi who was frozen in sheer surprised, he backed away violently shaking his head to the side in recognition. An old trauma resurfaced in his mind. He whimpered and pleaded with his eyes.

Having enough waiting, Branch Horn divebombed at Watatsumi. He clasped his jaw right onto Watatsumi's neck, and the two burrowed into the ground, creating a crater while the rest of the Lunarians soared elsewhere in order to avoid the clash of titans.

Watatsumi's tail waved in a sense of discombobulation and smashed consecutive towers ranging around 1,000 meters tall, splitting them from the middle inside the interior. The top, burning halves tilted downwards and dropped down onto their bodies.

Branch Horn lifted Watatsumi by the jaws and threw him into a crystal wall. By the loud bang, cracks stretched on the crystal surface like a spider web, water leaking from them. With the sudden impulse from the momentum of the throw, the senses of Watatsumi fell to disarray.

The white one raced against the planted blue one to extend his playtime. Watatsumi woke up from the daze and dropped his jaws to fire a hydro pump. It engulfed Branch Horn's erect body, and he disappeared inside it. Out came Branch Horn right on top of the hydro pump, poking his head out in front of Watatsumi and wrapping the jaws shut with his tail beneath the shaft of water.

The next Watatsumi knew was the air. He was whipped overhead and flat onto the ground, creating a perfect crater in his shape as the ground beneath him was torn apart. He lied there smooth and straight like a tuna on the chopping board. The tail wrapped to his jaws were released, and he knew, none of this was over.

The last Lunarians standing floated around the two and sent their final attacks against Branch Horn. He paid them no heed as nothing changed. It was all useless. Branch Horn traced his tail on the ground, sending out warnings for them to cease their foolishness unless they want to be on the receiving end of his tail.

Taking this opening from his attention dropping, Watatsumi got up from the spot and burst out of the ground, sending boulders and rubble flying. He rammed his full body right onto Branch Horn, creating a crater that flowed from one the city to the other side.

The two of them coiled together in order for them to choke the other. They dug everywhere in the capital, from the underground to skyscrapers. It was like two tornadoes had fused into a drill as nothing in the capital was left unblemished. They soared across the sky, leaving trails of rivers falling down into the streets. The tornado was released with Watatsumi being the one flying away and losing the clash.

The durability of Watatsumi was commendable. He picked himself up having gained gashes all over his body and neck.

He called forth water out of thin air and molded them in correspondence to his shape. His wings lengthened out to the horizon, covering 30km. Streamers of water attached to his wings, whiskers, and tail in order for heightened mobility and as propellers. And his body mass bulked up, his scales creating a mesmerizing tidal wave in motion around his body.

Out of the three sockets among the Watatsumi's tailfin came three orbs.

The three orbs were the Kanjus (Ebbing Jewels) used to control and stabilize the three seas, Uwawatatsumi, Nakawatatsumi, and Sokowatatsumi. Pouring out of them came those very three seas to fill the capital right across the center of the globe, covering three kilometers in height and separating the capital below into one kilometer.

The two resumed in battling it out within the three seas summoned by Watatsumi. They slithered and pounded their heads against each other several times, forcing the water around them to explode outwardly away from the sight.

Watatsumi roared loudly, the seas surrounding them created thousands of juvenile sea dragons who ganged up on Branch Horn and gnawed on the body.

Blowing them away came a giant air bubble coating Branch Horn. The gusts accelerated, and eight wings of cyclones swung around to bat away the thousand sea dragons. Their bodies ripped and shredded to pieces as they returned to their natural forms of the three seas.

The two dragons roared out inside the three seas. More cyclones sprouted from Branch Horn's back, the edges tipped in plasma. From Watatsumi's side were the three seas constructing into giant versions of his head, mustering their full might for the final clash.

A loud explosion rocked the capital and breaking the last of the glass panels on every tower. The first thing the last of the conscious Lunarians witnessed as the three giant dragon heads being assimilated back into the three orbs was Watatsumi floating in the air, huffing and visibly tired with his half-opened eyes. His streamers and long wingspan were gone when the three Kanjus returned to the sockets on his tailfin. The other was Branch Horn. He was up in the air above Watatsumi and looking down upon him.

Branch Horn decided it had enough. Letting itself get carried away to find anything to pique his interest. Left thoroughly satisfied by the last attempt of Watatsumi, there was no more joy to be had in taking him seriously any longer.

Brach Horn raised his head above and gave one last roar for the sea to finally drown the capital, manipulating it to rise and tower the crystal globe. High pressured water from this height of five kilometers was sent down crashing everything. Drop after drop, the city towers and skyscrapers were broken and destroyed.

Watatsumi tried to escape by flying out of the dome together with the remaining Lunarians following him. Limping each time a multitude of giant droplets crashed on his body.

The sea bellowed as it completely swallowed down, slamming the crystal globe into pieces. The lunar capital was no more as it was engulfed down into the bottom of the new-formed sea.

…

…

…

…

…

* * *

Silence. There was a calm in the flat sea now. No movement to be seen, no life to look for. Colored ripples like those of the Belousov-Zhabotinsky reaction accumulated to paint the sea all over in Azure. The clouds departed to nowhere as the night sky glittered with stars that were visible again. It almost felt like ages had passed since the stars returned.

"So…it's all over now…" A melancholy voice escaped Junko's mouth unintentionally.

"Yuuup." Hecatia made a smacking noise at the end. Despite her casual remark, it was the most solemn Junko ever heard from her. "Come on. We're leaving. There's nothing of value here anymore."

The group of four (a red-haired Hecatia popped up at some point) got up from their seats and took in on the sight far away.

Turning back from the direction of the once existent capital, Hecatia created a warped gate leading into the Dream World. The four made their way off the moon with nothing of value left to consider, their interests in it have all faded.

"Even if they were our enemies, I had to admit, they were quite admirable in their last stand. Even if it was futile." Junko stopped in consideration, her spirits dull.

"Nah, those stuck-up bunch wouldn't be able to tell real danger on that scale." The bluenette shook her head.

"Is a maggot brave for leaping towards the giant of a human? The blond one brought up with a finger.

"No, it's instincts will fail to reach an appropriate response as it clings onto the skin. That Branch Horn's existence is magnitudes away for their instincts to tell of its true horrors." And the red-hair answered her own question.

"Just what exactly is that dragon?"

"Beats me. The last I heard of it was that it was up to something in Romania back on Earth during the fourteen hundredths. Or was that someone else?" The trio put a hand to their chin, trying to remember something important, someone distinctively different from the Branch Horn. "Hey, wasn't there a really obscure guy the Inuit made rumors about that fits this one?"

"Now that their gone, I'm free from all my grudges...and my purpose." Junko gloomily voiced out with a sense of sluggishness and lethargy. She sagged her head and hung it limply, choosing to stare at the ground.

"Aww, don't get yourself in such a rut so soon, Junko. Here, you want to go see Reisen-chan~? Will seeing Reisen-chan cheer you up~?" Hecatia asked with a cutesy tone, all three of her bodies synchronizing and approaching Junko slowly like they were mothers consoling a crying baby. They kneeled down with their heads leveled to Junko's. Junko nodded noncommittally in response. "Okay...We'll get you Reisen-chan right away~" A pinch to the cheeks, a pat on the back, and a head pat by the three of them ended on that note.

Abruptly, an explosion sounded out, and the quartet snapped their heads back towards from where the former capital lied.

A familiar shadow was below the surface.

Watatsumi jumped out of the water, creating a giant tsunami from the force. He ascended into the sky in retreat. Noticeably panicking in desperation as it swam in the air.

Following him was the Branch Horn dragon who burst out of the sea creating a second tsunami. It snapped its jaws onto the tail of Watatsumi, biting down into the base with enough force to crush the Crust of the Earth. Successfully catching its prey, the superior one slammed him underneath into the depths of the sea.

The fight wasn't finished even with the reserves of Watatsumi burned out.

"Wow~" Junko had a hand to her mouth with a giggle.

Hecatia howled in laughter as she tried to cover her sides, floating in the air and kicking with tears.

Bursting out of the waters, Branch Horn coiled Watatsumi tightly with his tail and slammed him down on the sea surface like a drumstick, the formation of tsunamis expanding the range of the sea outwards, kicking up thick walls of water. Branch Horn never let up his onslaught upon the poor dragon who was called upon the moon, only to be rag-dolled by this degree. Watatsumi gave out muffled cries each time he splashed against the sea for mercy.

"GO, GO, GO BRANCH HORN, HE'S OUR CHAMPION! HE'S OUR GUY! SMASH, SMASH, SMASH!" The trio of goddesses pulled out cheerleader pom poms from nowhere and struck a few poses with a cheer.

Exchanging the grip from the tail to the mouth, the body leveled with the sea. Rotating, twisting, and playing with Watatsumi roughly like an iguana on the attack, the formation of a whirlwind around surrounding them. The sea expanded and contrasted, losing its smoothness entirely. Tidal waves kicked up everywhere as the two rotated from one spot to the other.

"SHOW THAT FAKER WHOSE BOSS!"

After it was done, Watatsumi was pulled down under the sea. A giant whirlpool formed from where they retreated. After that came a giant beam of pressurized jets of water from the whirlpool. The quartet saw within that shaft of water with the thickness of Mount Fuji the Lunarians inside. Soaring out of the sea, curving and closing in at the Earth. At its tip was Watatsumi being dragged along the ride.

"BRANCH HORN! BRANCH HORN! BRANCH HORN YES QUEEN!"

The beam traveled out into space without resistance; it stayed perfectly straight as it touched the atmosphere of the Earth. The trip had no sense of being hazardous to them all. Branch Horn carefully controlled it to become a miniature atmosphere with a field of gravity to send them flying into Outer Space without the dangers of death.

It was a fantastical spectacle, the shafts of water falling onto the Earth like a waterfall, bridging them like the Stairs of Heaven. The Earth and Moon became connected at that moment.

Hitting the Pacific Ocean and continuing to the bottom, Watatsumi and the Lunarians were banished from the Moon and grounded into the bottom of the ocean.

But not from the real Earth. It was trapped in another time axis of another Earth.

Their day of irony hadn't stopped just yet. For all their life and accomplishments, they lived comfortably within a world that time didn't matter. But that wouldn't last long, and it was all temporary in the end. The moon was no true Pure Lands, no matter how much you artificially craft it, it will never be the real deal.

But now things will be different. Now they can live their lives inside a real Pure Lands. Only... if they didn't mind sharing with the rest of the occupants already inside. God bless them.

DLC had just arrived, coming in complete with a package of new NPCs for Multiplayer Mode! Please look forward to the new expansion available to you now! Refund not available.

* * *

"Interesting. What does China want with the Far Side of the Moon?"

It was Branch Horn dissecting a Chinese Moon Lander carrying cotton and potato seeds, sneaking itself inside the capital. If it had to assume, this could only have bypassed the detectors of the city by a revolutionary group inside the moon.

"Could it be that they wanted to invade the capital too? It would seem that the country is getting a bit restless."

The voice belonging to it was no longer distorted. No, it became undistorted way before arriving on the Moon. It was the residents that couldn't fathom those foreign words.

Everywhere the white dragon swam the colors of the sea changed into a single azure hue. Uniting all into a singular constant on the moon.

"I've gotten myself a present for Shizuri. I wonder if he'll like it?" Dropping the rover down to the seabed, the next was an intricate and ornate designed mirror to be picked up by the tail. "I feel kinda bad for Ookuninushi; I didn't bother to invite him for this. Not that I had the time to do so."

The waters around bubbled and the darkness surrounding the ghost city, now temple under the sea had swept the streets and buildings, filling them to the brim. Noticing a submarine that also functioned as a spaceship leaving the premise, it didn't bother with it, having done his job enough already.

"More importantly, did you enjoyed that? Youkai hidden in the boundaries?" Branch Horn addressed to no one and faced no one in the empty space of the sea. But it knew _exactly_ from where his occupant lied. "Feeling relieved?"

"Yes, I'm feeling absolutely DIVINE right now. Like I'm on cloud nine. It's a bit crude for a lady like me to say... but how do I put it...? It turned me on."

There was a woman's voice; it was sultry and had shrewdness written on its owner. She wasn't on the Moon for sure.

"Oh? You can comprehend my words so perfectly. The world really has gained back some of the truth." Branch voiced out-loud without movement from the mouth. A link opened between the two of them for their communication to be possible.

"I don't know. The Spearheaded one I couldn't hear so well."

"Pay no heed to Nidhogg [4], he does it to sound cool."

They transmitted each other's voices by a mysterious method. One had the power to manipulate boundaries and the other to interfere with them.

"So you really did return..." She muttered quietly.

"I'm speaking to you right as we talk." Came the reply to reassure her that it is here.

"Before we move on to official business, what should I call you by? Is 'Ryūjin' acceptable?" The dragon saw her perfectly, sitting within a void amongst thousands of eyes with her chin resting on her wrist.

"Ryūjin…? Now that's a name people haven't called me in centuries. Even though I'm the one who inspired that name, the reason why you're using it has to do with something else. Do you really think I'm on the level of being his _maeri_**MAJESTY'S**_sbroio_ substitute? Why would you think of me as some bigshot amongst my kind?" Expressionlessly, a glance was all it took to assess her body language.

"Because you're the more friendly of them all and have something resembling an ego." The woman had a response prepared, feeling confident with her judgment of the dragon.

"You say that after I trashed those boring gods?" Doubtful and amused by her evaluation of itself, it was enough to drop the stone face and adopt a jolly attitude.

"My my, so you didn't do that for me?" Her voice sounded genuinely hurt alongside her face. It had to give credit on her acting for sure.

"Do not misunderstand, I never did it out of consideration for you nor have I ever. It's because of the moon while boring, lifeless, and being the home of the immature is something I've never wished to set foot on, it has a certain amount of value to us. As for me, I'm only one _sc_**SCALE**_le_ out of the _rainbei_**MASTER'S**_rekamge_ tredecillion. An expandable if you will." Casually, a very unbelievable and absurd revelation was revealed.

"T-that number is an exaggeration, RIGHT?" She stuttered from the revelation in nervousness, putting more emphasis on her last word.

"Of course, that was a joke." (That was the number I stopped counting at millions of years ago. Now I don't want to go back doing it again.)

"Good grief..." She sighed in exasperation under closed eyes. Her face having felt actual fear for a long time. "It's not good to scare a lady you know? But what name should I use? It's a hassle to call you Branch Horn every time."

"Let's see...there were others like Watatsumi, Pa'ri Yook, and others before him, but none of them belong to me. Those were stories and legends people forged around me until those fantasies transformed into another reality and gave birth to those dragons. In the end, I have no true name... but if I must have a preference like the rest," It took a pause in deep thought, "call me...Tenryuu [5]."

"Then Tenryuu-_sama_-"

"-Please, call me however you like, no need to act so stiff around me, ha ha ha ha ha ha." Tenryuu chuckled lightly from how polite she became, finally moving that mouth of its. They preferred people to act naturally without formality.

"Then it is my pleasure to finally make your acquaintance, Tenryuu. My name is Yakumo Yukari." She introduced herself in a smile with the closing of her fan, lifting her head from rest.

**"**The pleasure is my mine. We can finally sit down and talk, unlike...last time." Tenryuu remarked in amusement, likely remembering a funny joke.

"Oh that...I would prefer we cover that up, under the bridge please." Yukari politely requested with a twitch of her eye.

"I can tell! I remember Nidhogg turning you into a pincushion that time! BA HA HA HA HA HA HA!" Now, the dragon blew into full-on laughter as the surrounding waters churned in response.

"A-hem," She coughed into her fist, moving the subject to save face, "moving on. Now that you mentioned Watatsumi, where did you send him and his entourage? He's no longer anywhere on Earth now that I've checked." She was right, she had the eyes around her revealing numerous locations around the world. Most of which showed the oceans of the world and they cumulated around her.

"A place they've always wanted. Well... if they can put up with some rowdy roommates. If they want to escape, then the key is to learn humility. If Watatsumi calls himself a dragon then escaping will be easy." Smirking with dark humor, the enjoyment earlier for itself was a little too much.

"I take it back, you're a very cruel dragon, oh you~" Her words might have been to chastise him, but they were meant to praise him by their tone. "But what about those Watatsuki sisters? Why didn't you throw them alongside the rest?" She furrowed her eyebrows with her pout like a girl complaining to her dad why he wouldn't let her go to prom.

"I am strictly commanded to not kill. Call it the last impression _he_ imprinted on me. That and I'm sure you want to torment them yourself." If there were eyebrows to be had, it'd wriggle them.

"Oh my, I thought you never do things under my consideration?" She played along with as much amusement as her conversational partner did.

"I did now." And with the coolest voice came a perfect reply.

"Kyah~, if you were a man, you'd be a complete heartthrob!" She placed her hands to her cheek and shook her head around with a light dusting of pink on her cheeks. Dropping herself back in a professional manner, she addressed Tenryuu. "Speaking of him, so Kamijou-_chan_ really is your current host. No wonder I couldn't find any of you again, you've been hiding in Academy City!" She pointed at him accusatorially.

"Feeling a bit peeved, are we? Well, I can't blame you, it's not a good idea to get noticed by Aiwass. Let me guess, he called you boring, didn't he?"

"Hmph!" And a pout to the side was what he received.

"Dead center huh..." If its face didn't show it, the flat voice did.

"Since you're so knowledgeable, anything interesting happened inside?" Yukari opened her fan to wave it at herself.

"Too many to name, but there was an interesting Raijin we ate, one of us had the nerve to leave and wander the city on his own afterward." The white dragon thought up the most relevant thing to it. There were others to count, but she didn't need to know about them.

"One of your kind is running amok in the city?" Her eyes widen in surprise as her hand covered her mouth like a cultured lady.

"That's right. But it's all well, that one isn't that far away in actuality."

"?" She tilted her head in confusion. That wasn't right, she knew it before that only nine dragons, including him, ran off around Gensokyo minus Dragon God. So where was this extra dragon? "Back to Kamijou, do you think your host is going to be all right in Gensokyo?" She narrowed her eyes and covered her face with the fan. Her voice lost its playfulness and questioned with heaviness.

"Will he be alright you ask? It depends, from the way he operates I can see things getting swallowed whole." That was the assessment given to her.

"Then wouldn't it be more proactive for him to be placed under protection?"

She didn't understand why they were this lax in security for their host now that they're free.

"He needs protection? You misunderstand, I'm saying that Gensokyo will be swallowed whole by him." Tenryuu corrected her idle thoughts.

"...That doesn't sound so bad."

Yukari's face was entirely covered by her fan with her eyes poking out and looking to the side. It wasn't enough though as he could see her face being bright red.

"...You...no... never mind. For him its par for the course on the matter of Gensokyo. Why do you think that city was _deliberately_ designed around him in the first place?"

"That's a lot of confidence you have in him."

"Hmph." Tenryuu snorted derisively, but not because it was offended. "Youkai, beings who eat humans? Do you think that meager darkness beneath Gensokyo is enough to break him? You have far too much to learn and very little imagination." Tenryuu didn't mince its words.

"Then teach me."

This request was not light, she honestly did want to learn anything about this boy. Her resolute eyes and firm voice conveyed her pure desire perfectly without any falsehood beneath it.

"You can see the boundaries between phases. You're a big girl figure it out."

"And I still don't know what happened between him and the war goddess!" There it was, the root of her frustration.

"...You. You're not jealous of the fact that she's his understander are you?" Tenryuu had hit the bullet at its mark a little to home then the white dragon would've preferred.

"What kind of conclusion did you make that one up!?" Yukari vehemently tried to redirect the topic to the dragon instead.

"So it is true..."

"Hmph!" She pouted again to the side again with her arms crossed.

"I don't recommend earning that war goddess's ire. Stealing another's understander is pretty deplorable, even if she is the one who covered your world under phases."

"Oh no, it's nothing like that. I actually feel grateful that she did so. Otherwise, I wouldn't be in this world." Her smile had returned to her face, her aggravations with the war goddess wasn't that overblown. "Be that as it may, why did the Four Eyes seek the shopkeeper?" She returned the subject back to the security of Touma still feeling unconvinced.

"Shopkeeper? Is that his current occupation? As for Kuzuryu [6], he's always a worrywart, so I told him to find my previous host using an imprint I left."

"Is that so?"

"Tell me more about what Shizuri is up to these days. I bet he isn't aware that he's been enshrined and worshipped as Takehazuchi [7] at the Shitori shrine as a patron kami in this world." A chuckle to the lip. If he were to hear about this, he would definitely be having a headache.

"His name is Rinnosuke Morichika now."

"Helper of the long rain heh...he really wanted to keep that bond between us..." Tenryuu smiled to in reminiscence of old days where they were bright enjoyable.

"He runs an antique store between the Human Village and the Forest of Magic and its name-"

"-Wait, let me guess, its Kourindou, isn't it? That's too obvious! But an antique store that attends to both humans and yokai? More like a convenient hotspot to be left alone. How's he holding up his role of purveyor for the Hakurei Shrine?" Tenryuu stroked its chin with its tail.

"He could be a little more gung-ho about it like he used to...he has no talent in being a merchant, and now he doesn't bother to keep the current Hakurei Maiden up to date with her goddess's name anymore." Yakumo sighed and shrugged, feeling a bit fed up with the state of being.

"Hold up, the Hakurei Shrine maiden doesn't know the name of her goddess? Either she's really good, or he's lazy."

That was unexpected. Tenryuu's previous host always kept to himself and avoided conflicts, yes, but he was always dutiful whenever he was needed. As for why he never told the current Hakurei maiden the name of her god…he must have been through a lot to ignore something this important.

"Speaking of phases earlier, something recently had happened, a dispersion of magic so large they blanketed the planet. Those were magic gods, weren't they? What did they want?" She crossed her legs and lowered her chin to her palm for support.

"The descent of True Gremlin you mean? They wanted Kamijou-_kun_ as their scorer." That got to Yukari. Her body language didn't show itself, but she was very nervous. "Be at ease, they're not of this world anymore, at least _for now_. It would seem two had resurfaced and are wondering the surface of the world. That war goddess... I wonder how long she plans on playing pretend. And that one who's pretending to be dead... that worries me."

"A magic god playing dead?"

"Well, at least it's not the Forgotten God. I don't want that guy to be birthing anymore elder gods like that waste of space Nyarlathotep. The last time got really out of hand when that new-born cosmology was acting like hot shit, so Alien had to step up and genocide them." Tenryuu waved off the concern it just had a moment ago. Not bothering to give it much thought any further.

"Alien? Is that another dragon in your group?"

"Yeah. He wanders the vastness of outer space, and he can't really touch the Earth, unfortunately." Tenryuu snickered with a shake of its head.

"Now...for the real thing, I wanted to ask." Her relaxed and playful demeanor died off with her eyes turning to steel. Her body turned rigid with her face stone-faced. "What is Dragon God's agenda?"

"...That I may not disclose."

"Can't you entertain a lady? I don't see what he wants with Gensokyo anymore, he didn't even come here willingly!" She raised her voice lightly, her demands clear.

"Your position isn't enough to warrant being in the know."

"And it is because of my position in the first place to be aware of threats to Gensokyo. It is the role given to me by Dragon God." Yukari retorted back, willing to argue for her right to know what they are planning.

"This is what YOU chose. You were desperate and sought the aid of Ryūjin, but instead met us. Your luck was abysmal if you founded us instead of any other group of dragons." Tenryuu coldly denied her, his chummy mood declining from her forcefulness.

"On the contrary, I'd say our false meeting was destiny. What else can I call it but striking gold with the finding of the originals which inspired the chaoskampf [8]? Our meeting didn't have to turn out the way it did. That bastard Nidhogg poked holes into my clothes!"

"Nidhogg had the sense to hold back and avoided your skin. From that respect, he's a real gentleman."

"Can't you at least touch upon that massive shadow that manifested?" Realizing she wasn't going to learn the intricacies of their plan, she dropped it and asked for something else.

"That is simply a mass of pure energy."

"Just energy? Even when the rain flowed down its body?"

"When you get as bizarre as that thing enough to overload the filters of the world, you can fool the world."

"One last question," Yukari's face and voice suddenly became somber with her eyelids half covering her eyes and mouth curling into a sad smile, "...all of my work...my tears and sweat...they weren't wasted, were they? My ideals... aren't foolish... right?"

Tenryuu didn't take her question lightly. The surrounding water became silent and still. The eyes around Yukari stopped every motion on them. It was all quiet now, and the only thing in the world right now was them. She waited in anticipation, readying herself for the pain to arrive, and Tenryuu, deep inside thought as to what will be it's response. After a moment of silence between them, it honestly, and earnestly told her the truth about this world.

"...Anything in this world is possible."

"...I see. I see...my work did measure up to something."

Yukari let out a deep sigh of relief she was holding in. She leaned back and covered her eyes with her arms. She brushed her eyes to clear away small traces of wetness at the corners.

"..." Tenryuu made no sound to allow the time for her to regain her composure.

"Thank you." Yukari brushed away the last of her tears. She faced him eye to eye, feeling a lot better than before with a genuine smile on her face. "I've taken most of your time now. Please excuse me."

"No problem. It was me who contacted you in the first place." Tenryuu's jovialness resumed as its smile returned.

Yukari bowed her head and turned around half-way until she stopped in a reminder of something important. She looked at Tenryuu from the side and bashfully asked one more question. "Say, about the Lunarian technology..."

"Oh, that? Just give me some time for me to package and deliver it to you. The technology of the moon doesn't concern me one bit. I'm actually grateful for you to lift these off my... tail." Tenryuu shook its head with clear amusement. Too obvious was the thought.

"Ufufufu, reminds me of the Ryūjin shinkō."

"Ah yes, the faith and religious practice between humans and sea kami. The belief that metal nullified the magical powers of the serpent, developing the idea that it was taboo to drop metal in the ocean to avoid incurring the wrath of the serpent. It was also this belief where wealth and treasure are brought from the other side of the ocean." Tenryuu gave her one last look to impart one more thing. "Come see me again if you have questions. You'll be having a lot and you'll going to need my help desperately."

"I will. I look forward to having talks with you again." She promised to visit when she needs him again. With a wave, she turned around and ripped open a tear in space.

As Tenryuu watched her do so, something sparked within. As if there was something really, REALLY important that needs to be addressed. It was as if this something was the key between salvation and disaster. Its body shook for it to realize, and the mind roared for it to remember. A momentary realization crossed its mind in an instant.

"Hold it." Called the dragon to her before she took a step into the tear. With a U-turn, her head was facing Tenryuu's humorless face. "What's the male to female ratio in Gensokyo?"

A knowing smile curled her lips. With a cute tilt to the side and hand placed on her cheek, she answered in a chirp. "Two to eight."

Tenryuu's eyes became blank with its body slacked. "... Gensokyo will naturally fall into anarchy on its own before he makes it to the moon..."

"Oh don't worry yourself too much on that minor detail, I'll...devise a few measures. Maybe remove a few of them along the way." Yukari's eyes darkened together with her wicked voice. Her smile expressed nothing but deviousness and a craving to eliminate all obstacles.

"...So you ARE interested."

"Now I won't say something extreme like that war goddess like he's mine or anything...BUT..."

'But' she said. That alone sent warnings all over.

"...He will be. That war goddess had her fun, but now it's my turn. Ufufufu."

And with that, she turned away and disappeared into her gap.

Tenryuu, all alone on the spot could only think of two words that encapsulated everything that needed to be expressed. It was the only thing that could be said.

"...He's fucked."

* * *

[1] Isetsuhiko-no-Mikoto: An obscure Japanese god of wind. One story has him surrender his land to Amenohiwake-no-mikoto in the name of Emperor Jinmu. Another story, long ago, he built a fortress of stone that was completely impenetrable.

[2] Raijin: A really famous Japanese and Shinto god of thunder, lightning, and storms.

[3] Ishikori-dome no Mikoto: A kami of mirrors who crafted the Yata-no-Kagami mirror, one of the three Sacred Treasures. It was used to lure the sun goddess Amaterasu out of her cave to return light into the world.

[4] Nidhogg: 'Malice Striker', 'Curse Striker', or even 'He Who Strikes with Malice.' Its name carved a social stigma implying the loss of honor and the status of a villain. Its role as a monster who devours the corpses of the inhabitants in a level within Hel of Norse Mythology (Náströnd): those guilty of murder, adultery, oath-breaking, and among others that are seen the worst in Norse society. It also has the role of gnawing at the roots of Yggdrasil, returning everything to chaos during Ragnarök.

[5] Tenryuu: A heavenly dragon in Touhou who has no official appearances besides from the words of Kasen in Wild and Horned. Although it's called the "King of Constellations" and is identified with the Big Dipper, unlike other constellations Tenryuu is considered to be an actual living dragon that soars through the heavens. This dragon is allegedly on its way to devour the North Star, and it is said that when that happens something that makes both Heaven and Earth to tremble will occur. According to Kasen Ibaraki, "dragons will become rulers of everything under Heaven as the Heaven-born dragon dances through the sky".

[6] Kuzuryu: Kuzuryū (九頭龍 _nine-headed dragon_), or Kuzuryūshin (九頭龍神 _nine-headed dragon god_). It's a deity in folklore and legends in various parts of Japan, who is mainly associated with water. His legend began in Lake Ashi of Hakone where he demanded sacrifices that vary to the daughters of the houses. The village chose the sacrifice by shooting a white-feathered arrow and see where it lands. A priest named Mankan cursed the dragon and chained him in an underwater rock formation. The expression from this legend of "send-up a white-feathered arrow" has adapted to "choose by lot." The legend doesn't stop there as Mankan saw the dragon reform from its evil ways and became a Dragon King. After this, the dragon changed his demands from human sacrifices to steamed rice with red beans. The origins of Kuzuryu can be traced back by the Buddhist deities Vasuki and Sesha.

[7] Takehazuchi: An obscure Shinto god in the Nihongi. His other name can be Shidori no kami, Takehazuchi no mikoto, and Shizuri. According to the Nihongi, this kami pacified the 'central land of reed plains' by subduing the final rebellious kami, the 'star kami' Kakaseo (Another name for Amatsu Mikaboshi) and prepared the way of descent for the Heavenly Grandchild (_tenson kōrin_). Because Shizuri is the name of a weaver clan, the _Kogo shūi_ identifies the kami with Amenohatsuchio, distant ancestor of the Shizuri and who, led by Futodama, wove "coarse cloth" (_shizu_) at the time Amaterasu hid away in the rock cave of heaven.

[8] Chaoskampf: 'Struggle against Chaos,' a global myth and legend depicting a culture hero-deity battling against a monster of chaos, usually a serpent or dragon. Some include Thor-Jormungandr, Indra-Vritra, Oraetaona-Azi Dahaka, Zeus-Typhon, Marduk-Tiamat, Yahweh-Leviathan, Susanoo-Yamato-no-Orochi, and many, many other unnamed ones.

**Author's note:**

**This was actually the first chapter I spent writing for this fic. And boy am I glad I wrote this beforehand. The entire prologue has been leading up to one these events I wanted to happen. When I brainstormed ideas, this chapter stood out and I wanted to happen eventually. The chapter was actually split in two, one with the battle with the Watatsuki, and the other was the Lunar Capital. I decided to just fuse them together in a single SS in the end. During the second half, there was a plot point where Tenryuu converses with Yorihime, scaring the shit out of her and making exposition. I scrapped that one away because too much exposition is a bad idea.**

**I took in inspiration from Amatsumagatsuchi from the Monster Hunter series and transferred elements of him into Branch Horn.**

**So now a lot of setups for future plotlines have been introduced in this SS, and the names of a few dragons have been revealed. Can you point out all that appears to be setups?**

**Please point out any grammar issues and review, and they are very much appreciated.**


	5. First Night I

**A/N: Hello everyone, we've finally made it to where Touma is, yay! I'll say it here now that there's going to be spoilers for NT21 so beware. Also, because of the ambiguity for why Touma is here and the early draft of the fic means it can adapt to future canon content for the Toaru side of things because damn NT22 you crazy. The only thing I can say to those who are confused about where this is in the timeline, _don't think too hard on it_. I am being _very bold _about this.**

**Moving on to review responses:**

**M1nhTre37: You flatter me. But if I'm honest, I do have rough drafts of things and how they play out, but the most troubling is character interactions and the middle of the story. You give me too much credit. When the time comes for me to have some helpers along the way, I hope they treat me well.**

**ShadowDeath01: I will reveal their names in due time.**

**WilliamZO: Ah yes, Kamachi's obsession with blondes is unprecedented. Now, what could the moon even be used for? If you think this is crazy then you're in for a ride. As for my favorite artist, They're all good, but the one with the edge is Futa (nabezoko). As for Rinnosuke's personality... it'll be him in canon mixed with Futa's, and when shit gets real, he turns full Satou Yuuki. And no, I don't have a hard update schedule, unfortunately.**

**Guest: No one's dead.**

**Guest: I don't know how it was comfy but hey, power to you.**

** Disclaimer: To Aru Majutsu No Index belongs to Kazuma Kamachi and Touhou Project belongs to ZUN. I don't own either of these properties.**

**Chapter 1: First night in Gensokyo I**

* * *

"Make yourself at home. The racket is behind the door and there's a towel to the shelf on the left."

"Yeah, thanks for inviting me." Touma says gratefully.

Rinnosuke beckoned Touma inside his store, the two having arrived from under the rain. They situated themselves, eager to escape the rain, the downpour outside still noisy as ever.

Dropping off the rain cloak given to him by Rinnosuke on the hanger, he then went to grab the towel he was told. Drying himself off, he hung it over his shoulders and took note of the front room of the store he entered being lit by the lamp on the counter. From the small glimpse he gotten outside, the sign outside hanging above the door was apparently signed with 'Kourindou,' the name he figured.

From his position, he looked to see the aisles filled to the brim with plethoras of antique goods ranging from old china, pots, tea sets, cassette players, old-modeled TVs, game consoles, furniture, and other materials. And they were all placed neat and tidy where each position served a purpose. The network of goods created a sort of harmony where nothing was without meaning and showcased the greatest quality they had to offer. He traced his fingers across the shelf and found a complete absence of dust.

They say a room can tell you everything about the occupant, and he was impressed to find what he saw. The owner put a lot of care into his store and guessed that business was bustling, flowing with cash under this treasure trove.

Touma completely misunderstood everything about this store.

Picking from where he left off, there he saw a counter directly across from the door. To the left of the counter is a pathway to a hall on the left and complete darkness on the right. From a glance, there was a giant jar to the right of the counter. The shelves across from him had a lot of silverware, vintage bottles of alcohol and interchangeable parts he assumed an automobile.

The otherwise pristine and glamorous shop was ruined a little by the rustling of critters he can feel on his skin. Rats unfortunately he thought.

Deciding to sniff the air a few times he found-

(What's that sweet smell?)

His thoughts got interrupted when the bespectacled man called to him from the counter, seeming to be ready for discussion.

"Seeing that you've made yourself comfortable, where do you like to begin?"

"Huh? Oh, well... introductions please."

Touma had stepped to a position in front of the man, opting to talk with him face-to-face instead of across the room.

"Ah yes, how rude of me. My name is Morichika Rinnosuke, feel free to use my given name as you please."

"Kamijou Touma, nice to meet you Rinnosuke-san." The two nodded with each other and traded a handshake. "Then, moving on if you don't mind, where am I?"

"You are in Gensokyo currently. A wonderland in the East where creatures of humanity's superstition reside alongside humans. Where those that are forgotten are remembered here, the common sense around this land is nothing like that of the Outside World since yokai and humans living together is the norm."

"Yokai? You mean like those monsters we waved off as legends and folklore to scare children from skipping their bedtime and put in handheld toys they love to play?" Touma answered with a straight face. Clearly, his views of youkai leaned amongst those of modern times.

"Usami-san wasn't lying with the old stories losing their appeal...no... maybe that's for the best." Rinnosuke looked to be frowning and not at the same time, the last line he muttered quietly. "Anyways, they are the very same. And as you can expect many don't have a lot of reservations when dining in human flesh."

"They eat humans!?"

Rinnosuke had expected a yelp of understandable terror, but what he found was the boy being purely surprised and not terror-stricken then the usual he had gotten before. If the knowledge of a more dominant species above humans were to be heard from the latter, then they obviously would question themselves into having an existential crisis. But that was off the mark with concerns to this boy before him.

What kind of messed up life did this boy live?

Touma too was surprised by his own subdued reaction. Now he was never someone who was cynical and desensitized enough not to care or have no problems with what he heard; he simply shoved that particular fact as another usual constant in his life. Such misfortune he thought to himself. But what was the cause that attributed to his current attitude?

He recalled back to the summer of August eight, the day right after he lost his memories.

Did it happen when he lied to Index about his memory loss? He didn't think so.

Was it because of the fire thrown at his face during his first meeting with Stiyl? No that couldn't be.

Did it have to do with that schoolgirl in the Misawa Cram School who he saved and watched her turn into a goop of gold by the hands of the Aureolus Dummy that forced him to strangle the dummy to the edge of death and let go to keep his humanity? Maybe, he didn't know.

Or was it that time he bore witness of the Gregorian Chant destroying a single building, causing a chain reaction for others to fall and time seemingly rewinding before they were ever destroyed? It didn't sound _too_ bad to him.

Could it have to do with how Stiyl got ripped apart into a human planetarium from the almighty power of Aureolus? He still couldn't believe a fourteen-year-old could grow to the height of 200cm.

Or maybe it really had to do with his arm getting sliced apart from his shoulder and laughing it off during the adrenaline, stepping towards Aureolus menacingly while licking his lips to taste his own blood? Ok, he had to admit, that was pretty wild.

Touma stopped putting deep thoughts into it and chalked everything up as a really bad day, feeling a sigh and some tears in the depths of his mind.

"Not all of them. Those who don't are mostly the ones who are really ancient and have adapted to being remarkably polite with the humans at the village. There are some exceptions too. The ones who do however mostly comprise of low-level youkai, the strong are rather picky eaters."

"There's a human village in these parts?"

"Yes, around east from here."

"They aren't in any danger from the youkai are they!?"

He smacked his hands on the counter with a fire in his eye and determination in his voice and face.

Raising an eyebrow, Rinnosuke thought Touma to be a bit strange. The boy before him, while he wouldn't say, didn't have any problems in learning of youkai eating humans, he gave a more forceful reaction in concerns with people he never even met or seen before than compared to his own well-being.

"Relax Kamijou-kun. They aren't defenseless and have the means to defend themselves. We also have a system everybody must play by here. The Spell Card System. It's implemented in order to give weak yokai and humans a chance to win in conflicts by making fights equal and prevent bloodshed. It would be very undesirable if a yokai were to use their full power and indirectly destroy this land. It's also outlawed for youkai to feed on the humans here."

Rinnosuke informed considerately, aiming to alleviate the boy's worries.

"Oh... that's good." Touma reeled back with a relieved sigh. Then he had dawned to a realization. "But do the Spell Card System extend to people like me?"

"How sharp. Though I hate to tell you this, they don't. Outsiders like you who accidentally wander into these lands are a rare delicacy."

"Then I'm guessing my clothes are a red alert on a free meal..."

He lowered his head to look at his white hoodie he was currently wearing, completely at odds with the fashion of this land he speculated. His position in Gensokyo was growing more and more unpromising the more revelations he discovered.

"Yes, those will be a problem in keeping your identity as an outsider secret for sure." Rinnosuke rubbed his chin and gave a thoughtful gaze at Touma. "Give me a few days to tailor some set of clothes for you, so the natives don't find out."

"W-wow, really? To have you do so much me for after we just met..."

Touma looked up to meet with the shopkeeper's gaze, expressing a grateful smile.

"Call it an investment instead."

Touma nodded away on that note until his smile dropped in a panic.

Rinnosuke just implied that he would be staying a few days in these lands.

"This is bad! This is really bad! I don't have time to be in a place like this!"

"If you're that desperate to escape from here, then I recommend you seek the Hakurei Shrine. There's a shrine maiden who can send you back to your world. Among the youkai roaming around the shrine is someone who deals in outsiders that come and go in Gensokyo. She too should be able to create a path for you."

"Then I'm going to have to get there as soon as possible! But running into a yokai is a possibility, no, considering my misfortune it's guaranteed!"

Touma hung his head in admittance with the reminder the song and dance that is his life. A dark miasma permeated from him that sent the temperature of the room spiraling down forty degrees.

"W-well I'm sure it won't be so bad." Rinnosuke held his hands up to console the pessimistic boy in front of him, sweating from his shift in mood. "There is another option you can take. For your sake, you can stay here under my shop and wait for the Miko. She sometimes drops by for shoplifting."

He admitted the state of his own store lacking in dignity when it comes to robbers as if it were an expected affair.

(Rinnosuke-san... you've got it rough.)

Touma could only give the man a look of pity. The shopkeeper being aware of the intentions behind it hung his head dejectedly with a gloom.

"Can't you take me there yourself?"

"I would, but the circumstances outside here I expect everything to be out of order, and that's putting it lightly." He picked himself up afterward and eyed Touma accusingly, making him flinch with a step back.

"Urgh..."

"There might also be the possibility she headed out from the shrine in a reckless abandon to solve this incident." From that, Touma turned a bit nervous for the fate of the Miko which Rinnosuke noticed. "Don't worry about her too much. She has prior experience in solving incidents."

Touma stood there evaluating his options available. He didn't have many to go by with so little information, so he brought up Rinnosuke's offer.

"Are you sure about having me over to live under the same roof? I don't want to impose any more on you than I already did."

"I don't mind. Frankly, I could use some of your help for my business."

Accepting that response, Touma grinned and placed a clenched fist to his chest to indicate his willingness to cooperate.

"Alright! Whatever it is you need you can count on this Kamijou-san!"

"Then I look forward to our future arrangement. But forgetting that, it's time to depart to bed; you look ready to tip over any minute now."

He was right, Touma had exhaustion washed all over his face, and his footing was tilting slightly being evident.

"Ah ha ha ha ha..."

Touma let out one weak self-deprecated laugh. His mood plummeted again now that he remembered everything before he arrived in this land. He hadn't eaten and slept for days; it was a wonder as too how he can even stand with his health as it is. He truly did live a life filled with misfortune. From the corners of his eyes came a flood after having the time to really think for how he was treated the past week.

For one, he had to skip dinner when Kamisato ruined his night on December third.

Then came the heatwave and elements invading Academy City lasting for three days.

Then he had to make himself scarce by running from the Kamisato Faction for two days.

Then after that, he only had the time to rest for a flat five seconds before Tsuchimikado barged into his dorm for protection against the superintendent of Academy City.

Then out came Aiwass and later the demon Corozon, he joined forces with Aleister to put an end to the demon's reign of terror, but not before getting molested by the man.

Then after a few trips across countries including Egypt, he bore witness to Aleister's invasion of England.

Then he got tortured by Stiyl.

Then he got his pants stolen by Orsola.

Then he got really horny.

And a lot more had happened then.

Rinnosuke took in the sight of the boy kneeling down to his feet, hugging his legs and pouring his tears into them. He had no idea what to make of this with how uncomfortable the mood turned to. So he shifted his focus away and tapped open his Ipad to check the time.

"From the looks of it, it's already midnight."

"You've got a working Ipad?"

Touma had returned from the depression he fell into like it didn't just happen to point out the very modern item amongst the vintage items surrounding them.

"Nice isn't it? To think the Outside World has compressed a great library inside a miniature pocket dimension to carry it whenever they're on the go. Fascinating how the world has progressed." Rinnosuke rubbed his chin, lighting the room up with the stars in his eyes and smile.

"Umm... sure. Yeah, let's go with that." Not having the energy to clarify his misjudgment of the item, Touma sighed and waved off the man as an eccentric.

(Come to think of it... did he ever implied himself to be a youkai or human? Those gold eyes of his are definitely inhumane...and what reason would he have of helping me?)

"Um... Rinnosuke-san, those eyes of yours..."

Touma nervously pointed out with sweat trickling down his brows. His danger senses didn't signal anything hostile on the man, but it wouldn't hurt to be on the safe side.

"You're wondering whether I'm human or not." He earned a nervous nod and audible gulp in return. Sighing, Rinnosuke pushed his glasses up involuntarily. "Youkai or human... which am I?" Even he seemed to question himself as to what he really was. Touma tilted his head to the side in confusion, letting a bit of rain drop to the floor. Noticing that man's demeanor and body language had shifted lightly. "To answer your question, I am half-youkai. Both human and fantasy run in my blood, and those like me don't eat humans." Rinnosuke raised his head to look at Touma directly and reassured him there was no immediate danger from himself.

After hearing it the shopkeeper's words, Touma visibly relaxed his guarded posture; only, he wasn't allowed to just yet.

"Excuse me, is anybody home?"

(!)

(! From that voice... Izayoi-san?)

A knock on the door grabbed their attention with the muffled voice behind it. Touma snapped his head behind him to the door but returned them over when Rinnosuke held his arm and whispered to him.

"Kamijou-kun, step back behind the counter while I go and open the door. I'll handle it since drawing suspicion to you won't be favorable for you and me." Rinnosuke gathered Touma's attention and motioned him to follow his directions.

Touma had hesitated somewhat.

From what he could infer by Rinnosuke's words, he could be using him by the way it was unfavorable to the man if he was discovered.

But after deliberating in the short time between them when their gazes met, he saw it beneath those inhumane golden eyes reflecting the honest will and intentions to protect him.

Trusting the man with his life on the line he nodded.

The two synchronized the noise their feet produced to hide Touma's as they made their way to the opposite sides of the room. Touma had hidden his presence by kneeling under the counter while Rinnosuke leaned his body to the door and peered out a small window he let up by the pulling the curtains slightly.

What met his eye was an elegantly combed hair of silver with a maid headband and two green braids done beautifully. It was a woman's graceful face with blue eyes, almost doll-like outside the pouring rain. From his view, her height is to be 165cm tall. He twisted the doorknob open to get a full view of his current prospect outside the store. The supposed Izayoi-san wore a dark-blue and white maid uniform with a white apron and short sleeves. Below her are black stockings covering her legs completely and red shoes. The maid in question full name is Sakuya Izayoi.

She was holding an umbrella to avoid getting soaked by the rain of misery outside the door.

"To what do I owe the pleasure this late, Izayoi-san?" Rinnosuke greets the woman with his regular treatment of potential customers.

"Greetings shopkeeper, I hope I'm not intruding anything important." A polite and customary reply was what he got out of the woman.

"You do know that business hours are currently closed yes? Especially with how _you-know-what_ had transpired earlier this night."

"Would you look at that, I've arrived at the perfect hour. It's nothing different than from your usual business hours." The unreadable face of hers curved into a sarcastic smirk.

"Gah..." He felt a stab to the heart and clutched it when hearing it from Sakuya. He composed himself back up straight and looked down on her with his imposing height. "Whatever, what is it that you need from Kourindou?"

"Before getting to business, don't you have to let the customers in? It's a bit embarrassing to discuss a transaction by the door." Sakuya glared at him with one eye open. "Almost as if you were trying to hide something."

"Hoh? How rude of me. If you can handle what I've got, then please, right this way."

He moved to the side to create room for her to enter through the door, beckoning her in with courtesy.

"A word of advice from me. Instead of saying "it's closed right now' it is more appropriate to say 'it's always closed' for business."

Snarking that out of the way with her smirk in place earned the ire of the shopkeeper. She knew that he would never leave one of his few precious customers dissatisfied. Despite having no talent as a merchant, he knew that the customer was god.

She folded her umbrella as she took a step inside to be met with something stunning.

When she saw the inside of the store, she gasped. Everywhere she looked, high-quality placement of the wares expressed dignity and integrity in the atmosphere. Everything was clean without a speck of dust and grime blemishing the contents. The room was oppressive for her as if to challenge her title as Chief Maid of the Scarlet Mansion.

"Like it?" By her side, she turned her head to see the smug visage of the shopkeeper. His crossed arms and back leaning against the wall was clearly a sign of provocation. 'Can you do _this_?' Is what he silently implied.

The maid narrowed her eyes at him when she lost her gloating advantage. He probably felt benevolent earlier to spare her from witnessing this piece of art.

(Since when did he get so impudent?)

The two settled themselves inside where Rinnosuke sat behind the counter in his chair and Sakuya in front of him.

"Now explain to me what you're looking for." Rinnosuke asked with his full attention on her.

"Before I get to that matter, did you find yourself in possession of anything suspicious earlier?" Sakuya asks elusively, her features turning back to being unreadable so as to gauge out the reaction he was about to respond with.

"Now that's a very vague thing to ask you know." He says in confusion.

She was back to smirking at him again with renewed zest. "Then you weren't invited after all. Thought as much, though it isn't very much surprising." She says, relishing the ignorance he was displaying.

"What are you talking about?" He asks inquisitively.

Sakuya pulled something out of her apron and handed it to him. It was a white shikigami.

Reading what was written on it, Rinnosuke narrowed his eyes in thought.

"Isn't this a trap set up by her?" He asks casually.

Sakuya puffed her chest in pride. "The mistress realized that too, but she wouldn't run from a challenge by that gap hag. That daringness is what separates her from the other so-called nobility in Gensokyo."

"So you were sent here by the mistress for something." Rinnosuke figured out the purpose for why the maid had traveled to his store during the night, and under the stifling atmosphere, the dragons left behind.

"That's right. The mistress after being goaded by the little mistress had decided to send me in a search for a vehicle befitting her magnificence."

Sakuya decided to give the man the full story.

* * *

"Hum hmm hm hm~"

A blonde little girl giggled, seated by the dinner table in a giant room.

The giant room accommodated a size well enough to fit hundreds to people. It was dainty in the colors of red on the carpet and walls, hanging from the ceiling a chandelier. The room was isolated, having no windows to speak of.

"Should I bring my doll? Or maybe danmaku will be more fun instead?." Flandre muttered merrily, fiddling her index fingers.

"Oi, why are you shivering on the spot Flan?"

A gracious, but childish voice, equal to Flandre's called to her. It was a girl the same height as she is sitting at the front of the table in an immaculate throne.

It was the mistress of the Scarlet Mansion, Remilia Scarlet and older sister to Flandre Scarlet.

Red eyes, short-light-blue hair, pink mob cap with a red ribbon with white stripes near the rim, light-pink dress with red ribbons on the sleeves, large red ribbon around the waist, and black bat-like wings with a wingspan wider than her height.

It was an image of a nightcrawler, that brings terror by the name vampire.

She is the owner of the mansion and the mistress before the inhabitants who live and work here.

By her side catering to her is the chief maid, Sakuya.

"Ah!? N-nothing really important!" The little sister sputtered out in a mess with her wings jingling in the room.

Remilia was right, Flandre had been shivering on her seat when she came into the room uninvited instead of being in her basement like she was supposed to. Nothing really seemed to lit the fuse on her emotional outbreaks, so Remilia let her stay for dinner in the room rather than having Sakuya bring it to her basement.

Signaled by the mistress, Sakuya went to get the little mistress a velvet tart and placed the dish before her.

But Flandre never picked her spoon. She kept her head swaying to the sides with her eyes closed as she muttered incoherently.

"Nothing? It's rare for me to see you so stressed out and not destroy something over nothing." She says ponderously.

It really surprised Remilia who raised an eyebrow.

Noticing her sister's curiosity, she nervously tried to change the topic. "H-hmph! I guess you really never had it in you. The power to see fate you boasted about." Flandre remarked, smirking with her eyebrows taunting at her older sister.

That ticked her off.

Clasping her fingers together and closing her eyes, Remilia addresses her little sister. "Want to say that a little more closely?" She said sweetly with an equally sweet smile.

Sparks crackled between them.

"Mistress," Sakuya standing at the side interrupted, "Patchouli-sama has recovered enough from her asthma and is prepared to depart."

Turning her head away, Remilia responds. "Excellent. We'll be there shortly." She replies, lightly smiling pleasantly.

"Eh? What were you discussing just now?" Flandre asked, tilting her head on her seat.

It was Sakuya who answered by holding up a piece of origami paper.

"Oooh~, that's pretty."

"We've been invited by the gap hag to an emergency party at the Hakurei Shrine." Remilia told her patiently.

(Onee-sama and everyone is going out soon? Gasp! Could this be it!? The opportunity I need to leave the mansion!?)

With a spurt of excitement, Flandre asked her sister while shaking her fists up and down.

"Hey, Onee-sama! Why didn't you invite me sooner in the first place!?"

"That never crossed my mind before." She replied back like it was the most obvious choice of words to pick from.

"Tch." Flandre clicked her tongue. Feeling very annoyed by her sister's nonchalant attitude to dismiss her. "How come?"

Remilia brought her teacup to her sipping it and hummed. "Mn, is this the usual red tea Sakuya?" She received a nod by the maid.

Now Flandre got angry from her big sister's attitude when she ignored her.

"Answer me!"

"You should stay here until I find someone who can manage you." Remilia ever so calmly told her to be patient by promising her there will be someone to look after her.

She obviously wasn't satisfied by that promise that never came to be since the fake moon incident. Flandre pouted indignantly and retorted in her head that she already has a manager.

(Hmph! I already have someone who I can't break! He's just someone I haven't seen yet...)

"Why are you so mean!? You know your little sister is finally excited about something for a long time!" Flandre half-pleaded and half lashed out to her sister on the throne. She even grabbed her mob cap and threw it to the ground to accentuate her dissatisfaction.

"And if I let you out, the only fate that I see is ruin and destruction!" Remilia raised her voice and rebuked her hotly, bringing down the teacup a bit stronger without breaking it.

"Hmph. I bet you're just pretending to be seeing things again like you always do!" Flandre fired back unwaveringly, touching upon her sister's weakest sore spot she could never prove.

Remilia's face contorted in anger with a vein popping up. She completely lost her cool now that she jumped from her throne and slammed her hands on the dinner table making the silverware jump and producing banging noise when they landed back down out of their initial positions.

"Say that again, I dare you!"

"What, Huh!? You wanna fight!?"

The two at odds crawled on the table and slapped and hit each other, arguing back and forth creating a mess on the table with the table cloth gaining wrinkles and the plates falling onto the floor with a clang.

Off to the side, Sakuya watched the proceeding fit between children with a twitch of her left eye and a tired sigh. She ever rarely seen her mistress interact with the little mistress and almost every time they got into an argument. It was a good time to step in, she thought.

"Mistress." Sakuya stepped forward and interrupted the two's tussle with the both of them whipping their heads to her.

If a man with questionable tastes were here, he'd loudly say score from the sight of the two noble mistresses' bodies under a compromising position with their clothes disorganized. Flandre was on top of Remilia and holding her right arm by the wrist using her own right hand and pulling her sister's dress by the shoulder with her left. Remilia had her right hand pulling Flandre's side ponytail and her left foot pushing her stomach.

The Kami-yan disease has wormed its way to the Scarlet Mansion without the presence of Touma. It never lost its proper function after all this time.

"Look. Our appointed time is approaching soon and you mustn't look any less sharp and polished than during your best. It is you who will lead everybody to solve this incident at the Hakurei Shrine meeting and there is no better way than to win by showering them in your courageousness and charisma." Sakuya reported passionately behind her unreadable face. She gave her honest opinion in hopes that her mistress will resolve herself up to do her born-duty as a leader.

"...You're right Sakuya; this isn't the time to be playing games." Remilia got up on her feet wriggling out of Flandre's loose grip. Dusting herself from her disheveled look, she addressed her maid with her hands to her hip and a smile. "Everyone will need a leader to guide them under the besiegement of the dragons. Since we allowed time for everybody to gather at the shrine I can lead them under my command and not waste time waiting for the rest."

"Hah. Don't tell me you're going to be there with Sakuya carrying you by the throne are you?" Flandre hooted under Remilia; her head looked away to hide her smirk.

"What's wrong with that?" Remilia crossed her arms feeling fed up by Flandre's attitude right before the time to embark on her grand crusade to rule Gensokyo.

"Everybody knows a real _sophisticated_ lady has an _equally sophisticated _vehicle to assure everybody the grand status they uphold." Flandre held an arm and turned her head to give Remilia a side glance, her smirk never losing its touch.

"You've made a good point tonight Flan." Remilia concurred admittedly, scrunching up in thought with the thought of abandoning the throne approach. "Hmm. Ooh! How about we arrive there using our rocket ship!?"

Sakuya's face didn't show it beneath her elegant demeanor, but her eyes lost some luster in disapproval. And Flandre scoffed in amusement from her sister's thought process on how that would ever be a good idea.

"N-no? It's not a good idea?"

Remilia sniffed a little, a tiny bit of wetness from the corners of her eye.

"It's a good option for consideration mistress, but if I were to give my opinion, a vehicle that can highlight your face is a lot more preferable."

* * *

"And there you have it."

"I see. I see now." Rinnosuke nodded understandingly. His mouth twitched a little, and that made the maid glare at him.

"Now that I've made myself clear, you don't happen to have a vehicle overflowing with charisma do you?" She half-asked and half-challenged the man who prides himself selling goods from the Outside World.

"A vehicle, huh...?" He squeezed his face in concentration.

"Yes, it will be needed to make an impression of high class, something that will outshine everybody at the party, not that the mistress can't already outshine them by her own." Sakuya explained in a flat tone, feeling a bit of doubt the shopkeeper held an item that can measure to the mistress. "I'll make it easy for you, it doesn't have to be a coach or anything, as long as the mistress can ride around it..."

"Come to think of it, I did acquire an item befitting your description that will fulfill that purpose." He let out with confidence. He had a vehicle in mind and it's function being the perfect match for a noble lady.

"Then I shall take it. Hurry up and bring it out why don't you?"

"Then if you'll excuse me." Rinnosuke sat up from his chair and strode his way to the back storage room.

Touma who had been listening on the conversation the entire time waited with bated breath. He and the maid were the only two left in the room, and the tension in the air was palpable. He covered his mouth with his hands to quiet his breathing.

After an excruciating amount of time passed, Rinnosuke came out from the left of the room with a 'vehicle.' One that made Touma's eyes widen.

"This here is a vintage carriage of mahogany wood. The seat is made out of weaves that haven't lost its conditioning one bit. The wheels are fully operating without the hindrance of any road or pavement. And there comes an enclosable shutter on the top that prevents sunlight from harming the skin of the rider. Its size is appropriate for your mistress. But that's not all; whoever rides this carriage is the sovereign of all new-born life. None can ignore the rider for they must pay tribute without exception."

Rinnosuke bargained her using his silver tongue as she became more impressed the longer he drawled out.

She traced her hand across the handlebars and played with the shutters and wheels. By her expression, she was convinced of the quality and satisfied from the work it can produce.

"How much will this be?" She pulled out her purse and counted the money on hand.

"Since your mistress is having an important party to attend to I won't put too much weight on it." He held out three fingers to her to indicate the cost.

"Very well then, have a good day shopkeeper."

And with that Sakuya left the money on the counter, put her hand on the carriage and disappeared from the spot.

Touma meanwhile had witnessed the air turning gray during the time the maid left the money and went off with the carriage.

(W-what!? What was that!? Rinnosuke-san didn't appear to be moving at all when that happened! Only me and she did... don't tell me?)

As unbelievable as it sounded, Touma could only come to a ridiculous conclusion of the power that maid wielded. But at this point in his life, it wasn't the most surprising thing to him.

"You can come out now Kamijou-kun."

And so Touma did. He stood upright from behind the counter and stared at Rinnosuke like he was an idiot.

Whatever power the women had was secondary to his real concern, no, it might have just enhanced it.

"I can't tell whether or not you're an insane conman or perhaps the most glorious bastard I've seen."

"? What do you mean by that?"

"You sold her a carriage for _babies_!"

Touma detected a slight shuddering from the jar at the corner of the room.

"... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... oh."

* * *

**A**/**N: And that wraps up this chapter. This is just the calm before the storm comes. I have to ask though, how well did I portray Touma in your eyes?**

**Please review and point out any spelling and grammar mistakes; they are very much appreciated!**


	6. First Night II

**A/N: This chapter is rather short I'll say because the ending is where I thought it was good enough to stop at. I'm also pleased to see that people found the last chapter to be funny. I must ask that you guys be sure to tell me if I did anything wrong with depicting Touma this chapter. He is from late NT to give you an easy starting point.**

**For Review Responses:**

**WilliamZO: Yes, there aren't a lot of things Touma finds surprising really, he's a really chill guy who didn't even bat an eye at Aihana Etsu proclaiming himself a Level 5. Touma will not experience PTSD from Remilia's Gungnir I'll tell you that. Even with Birdway's and Index's one he still had a clear head to disrupt the actual source for what manifests their Gungnir copy. He will absolutely catch Remilia's casually in a straight face because he has so much experience otherwise after all. He is IRON CLAD after all. People tend to exaggerate the PTSD Touma has when it's not that severe. No disrespect to Remilia and the cast of Touhou, but... there's no way they can match up to the higher ends Toaru brings on the table in my honest opinion. Saying that Remilia's Gungnir is half as strong as Othinus's is giving her _way too much _kindness. Touma's earth is _definitely not weaker than Gensokyo's world_. I could go on, but that's not what I'm here to debate or write about so I'll stop there and apologize for taking up time with something like that. You're definitely right that Koishi has finally come to play.**

**wiliamsusanto: I'm neutral about Touhou pairings, being open-minded about yuri pairings and straight pairings. People can like what they like.**

**No good name: Ah yes, the three goddesses. I will say that you look forward to their interactions. Hmm... one of the members of Team 9 will be relevant this first night I suppose.**

**Disclaimer: To Aru Majutsu No Index belongs to Kazuma Kamachi and Touhou Project belongs to ZUN. I don't own either of these properties.**

**Chapter 2: First night in Gensokyo II**

* * *

"Kamijou-kun." Rinnosuke called, the words that left Rinnosuke's mouth had no emotion in them.

"Yeah?" Touma replied without emotion as well.

"I've got a favor to ask." Rinnosuke stated with deadly seriousness, turning his front body to face Touma's.

"I'm all ears." Touma said firmly, providing him his full support.

"Please pun-"

"YOU DONKEY!"

"Bufwu!?"

Rinnosuke wasn't given a chance to finish his request. In a flurry, Touma jumped on top of the counter to make up for the height, rushed forward and swung his clenched right fist onto Rinnosuke's left cheek. The bare-knuckles brushing against his skin had sent him flying across the room and slamming on the door.

With a loud bang, the shopkeeper landed his back head then his back on the door and slid down until he was flat on his ass leaning against it. The impact made the adjacent walls tremble a bit.

(All those times I had to practice my English has paid off!)

Touma had made it his goal to learn English whenever he got sent to England. From how often that happened, his priorities were clearly justified. The phrase he uttered he acquired from some angry Scottish man on TV he'd seen. It also helped that he fought against a Scottish man some time ago and that made the idea stick in his mind.

"You have a mean right hook..." Rinnosuke groaned out, rubbing his new red swollen cheek.

"You idiot! What are we gonna do when that woman and her mistress barges in here for that mockery!?" Touma raved furiously, holding his right fist to emphasize his anger. The man sold their death warranties, after all.

"Fear not! There is very little chance someone at the Hakurei party will recognize the carriage is meant for babies." Rinnosuke tried to appease to him, thinking that it was impossible for anybody in Gensokyo to recognize the vehicle.

"Which means it will happen because of my misfortune! You have to have some idea for who could know!" Touma denied him coldly and then questioned with a point of his finger. It was silly at this point for anybody in Gensokyo to be that ignorant.

"Well, there's the Moriya group..." Rinnosuke added weakly, feeling very foolish in thinking there was a way to escape their new predicament.

Touma had never heard of this Moriya group before, but it brought him despair knowing that there was a certain party who'll realize the embarrassment.

"We're so screwed..." He breathed out, slowly bending his knees before sitting on the counter.

The two of them became quiet for a moment, thinking to themselves despondingly and calming down. Thinking the ceiling was a lot more appealing to look at, Touma raised his head to stare at it. The occupants of the room lost all liveliness now that their unknown fates could very be under a guillotine. They stayed that way for a while before Rinnosuke tried to bring up some ridiculous odds in their favor.

"There's the off chance her mistress will like it and keep around..." Rinnosuke commented from the floor, his swollen cheek slurring his voice a little.

"Fat chance of that! Not unless this mistress is that gullible not to find it embarrassing!" Touma rejected angrily, lowering his head to look at man sprawled on the ground. It was unthinkable for a high-class lady to be that unaware of the possible humiliation.

What Touma received back was silence from the shopkeeper who turned his head away. Immediately he closed his mouth in shock and contemplation for what kind of personality this mistress had.

Unbelievable he thought.

"...She is isn't she." Touma deadpanned with a blank stare.

"Indeed. She's a perfect fit for the vehicle." Rinnosuke mumbled cheekily; his attitude appeared to have shifted again into a smug one from what Touma noticed.

The man still had the balls to joke around even when they had metaphorical guillotines over their necks.

Or was this his true nature?

"Tell me anyways who that person was..." Sighing weakly, Touma moved on and wanted to know who they were potentially facing against and how they might appease their inevitable fury.

"Sakura Izayoi, she's a human maid working full-time at the Scarlet Mansion beyond the Misty Lake," Rinnosuke reported from the ground without any fluctuations from his voice.

"And her mistress?" Touma asked just in case.

"Remilia Scarlet, a vampire." Rinnosuke replied.

"Oh cool, vampires do exist. that's neat." Touma commented casually, making him look to be a bigger weirdo in the eyes of Rinnosuke.

It didn't bother Touma until he realized who they likely just pissed off. Wordlessly, he sighed from the dark horizon in the future.

"You don't sound that surprised," Rinnosuke noted curiously. It _really _made him question what kind of lifestyle the boy experienced on a daily basis. "Have you interacted with vampires before?"

"I know a friend who've met vampires before," Touma answered offhandedly. "She said they weren't that different from humans."

Rinnosuke raised an eyebrow in surprise. The boy before him had deep connections to the supernatural from the Outside World. How involved and knowledgeable the boy is he wasn't certain, but he had experience for sure. The shopkeeper stopped having those thoughts when the pain on his cheeks flared up.

"...your punch really stings. Wait here until I patch myself up." Rinnosuke said grittily, trying to force down a groan.

"Take your time; I'm not going anywhere." Came the reply from Touma.

Nodding at the boy, Rinnosuke stood upright and walked away into the hall to the right, probably looking for some ointment and some cloth.

It was now Touma alone in the room, or so he believed. Touma searched around the room cautiously using his eyes.

He felt it earlier, subtle movements of giggling hidden somewhere in the room. He scanned the place to find a corner one could use to make themselves hidden from sight. His eyes trailed from the shelves until he moved his head to look behind his left shoulder and stopped at the giant jar from the corner next to the counter.

He and the shopkeeper were in fact not the only ones here.

(Is it that presence who was tailing us earlier?)

He jumped off the counter and took a few small steps approaching that jar until he was right in front of it. He gulped and attempted to peer down inside. Until he got interrupted when the shopkeeper returned with a first aid kit and ointment in hand.

"Geez, your punch is truly something. Do you practice martial arts?" Said Rinnosuke as he set down the items and opened the kit to apply a patch job to his cheek.

It would've been more appropriate to do the job in his bathroom. But since he had a guest to provide, he needed to keep on eye on him should something unpredictable happen under his suppose jurisdiction.

"No, never had the time." Answered Touma.

"So, are you naturally gifted?" Rinnosuke asked, rubbing the ointment around the sore spot with a cotton swab.

"He he he..." A dark miasma leaked from Touma as he giggled creepily. The air became stagnant and caused Rinnosuke to slow his work nervously. "Are you kidding me? Me? Gifted? Are you mocking me?" Touma asked a series of questions, cracking his head at Rinnosuke and staring with murder in his eyes.

The shopkeeper swallowed his saliva and composed himself a little to meet with the piercing gaze of the boy. "Then I suppose you get in a lot of fights." Rinnosuke stated after figuring out the real reason why his punch could send a 185cm man like himself flying.

"I wish what you said wasn't true!" Touma cried in a miffed tone. That broke him out of his fixed position.

"Well Kamijou-kun, maybe all of us have some role to play in life. Perhaps, you stepping into conflicts so much has a meaning." Rinnosuke explained, feeling the pressure and trying to figure out the right words to calm the boy down while sweating profusely.

"I'm going to really punch your other cheek if you're going to imply that me getting involved with conflicts has to be an expected matter!" Touma yelled angrily, winding his left arm to indicate that he wasn't joking. His words only enraged him even further.

He needed to say something to save himself from this predicament, or else both his cheeks will be swollen. "Well, what do you think?" Rinnosuke finally let out from his strained throat.

That seemed to work when Touma flinched from his pissed mood. "Urk..." He groaned out, not wanting to admit what he said is true. Of course, he would never accept such a sad reality. "W-whatever, it's none of your business. Anyways, what's this party at the Hakurei Shrine?" Touma stuttered and changed the topic to something more relevant.

"Important people or those who have substantial influence in Gensokyo are joining at the shrine to relax and discuss what needs to be done about the dragons." Rinnosuke replied.

"The dragons..."

Detecting the sudden downturn on Touma's mood, Rinnosuke interjected. "Now don't be hasty Kamijou-kun, you said it yourself earlier to me that you were forced against your will to be here. You may not have known this, but the people here are adept at solving incidents as I said earlier. You can leave things to the professionals."

"Forget about that for a moment." Touma deflected from the topic of dispatching the dragons in hopes to keep his swirling thoughts to himself. "If there's an ongoing party over at the shrine that means the shrine maiden must be there to perform as supervisors, right? Then wouldn't it be ideal to go there now?" Touma said, placing his left hand under his chin.

"It's possible..." Rinnosuke rubbed his cheek using his right hand. "It's too risky. There are too many unpredictable elements such as a sharp person who might connect the dots about your relations with the dragons. You'll most likely become hated by the masses. Even if the shrine maiden were to agree to send you home, others would want to keep you around to vent their frustrations. Do you still want to go regardless?"

It was as Rinnosuke said, there were too many odds against Touma. Heading over to the party could very well spell a meaningless death unless he wanted to as an atonement. There was little benefit to going under these circumstances where too many people will learn of his existence this early.

Even so...

"I've decided that I'm going there and that's final. I don't care about what other people think of me." Touma declared resolutely.

Rinnosuke stared into his eyes to confirm the determination behind them. It was enough to give him pause and cause him to hold his breath. They had a wellspring of experiences that saw many trials in its life that betrayed the youthful look. He had met many people before in his life, and he could tell that it was pointless to argue with such an unyielding attitude.

He let out a sigh and finally said. "There's no stopping you from going is there? Very well." Rinnosuke relented exhaustingly.

Touma nodded back and crossed his arms to seal the deal, making Rinnosuke rub his forehead exasperatingly.

"Before that though, there's someone outside who's been following us the whole time," Touma whispered carefully, looking sideward at the door. "I don't know what it could be, but it's invisible."

It spiked up again from his senses nearing the store, and it could very well knock upon them any time soon.

"I might have a few ideas who that could be," Rinnosuke finished applying a patch of white cloth to his cheek and brought out a newspaper from inside a dresser and down the counter. "Was there any specific feeling it gave you that stood out?"

"How do I describe it..." Touma trailed off. "It felt sort of like a ghost or pebble on the road." And finished from where he left off.

"Pebble you say? Then there's no doubt it has to be Koishi Komeiji." Rinnosuke figured, looking at some headlines to make sure his suspicions weren't wrong.

"Koishi Komeiji? Little rock [1]? Who's that?" Touma asked, furrowing his eyebrows.

"She's a special type of satori youkai who closed her eye. Because of that, she lost all conscious thought and people who perceive her forget her right after she leaves their line of sight." Rinnosuke clicked his tongue, feeling another migraine running around his head.

"What reason would someone like that have to follow us?" Touma said a bit intrigued about learning of another person in Gensokyo.

"Who knows, I'm sure even she doesn't. However, she is whimsical from what I hear, and that sort of person will be unpredictable along the way. It's best to shake her off our trails if you want to get to the Hakurei Shrine." Rinnosuke put out, making clear how much of a threat this Koishi person could be.

There wasn't a lot to plan out with so little information on hand, so Touma asked. "So, what are we supposed to do?"

"let me handle her."

"Eh?"

Touma didn't expect such a response from him. With the little time they've interacted with each other, he could tell this man is the kind of person who kept to themselves. Exactly what kind of reason did he have to do something so against his defined character?

(Act out your character damn it!)

"I'll negotiate with Koishi to lose interest with us before we embark towards the shrine." Rinnosuke claimed out.

"Are you going to be alright? No offense, but you don't seem to be a person who can handle themselves." Touma asked worriedly for the sake of this man.

"Trust me, I may not look the part, but I've been in a few brawls before in my life. You, however, need to stay put under the shop until I come back in here." Rinnosuke said, gripping the sword by his waist.

He then made his way to the door, grabbed a rain cloak and placed his hand on the doorknob before Touma stopped him.

"Wait, wait! You make it sound like fighting her is a given!" Touma called out from his position at the corner of the room next to the jar.

"Truthfully it is. When people tend to have disagreements, they end their disputes using the Spell Card System all the time." Rinnosuke illustrated by holding up a piece of paper.

A spell card Touma thought.

"So, fighting here is also a regular occurrence, only less bloody..." Touma uttered out quietly, feeling satisfied with the simple logic used in Gensokyo.

It allowed violence sure, but it was nonlethal and opened a solution to vent their pent-up emotions which he found all right in his book.

"Now that you know, I'll be going out to deal with her." And with that, Rinnosuke turned the doorknob and opened the front door.

"Yeah, just be careful." Touma gave his farewell before the door was closed in front of him.

There were no more interruptions that could occur inside the room now. Touma waited there for a few moments, letting the seconds pass quietly so that the shopkeeper can't hear what was about to happen next.

"He's gone now. Come out whoever you are." Touma called out to the unknown occupant lying inside the jar.

Touma was waiting for Rinnosuke to leave the store due to this. He learned something from when he punched him. And what he discovered was the man was weak. Though he looked confident in handling the stranger outside, Touma doubted he could handle another behind him, so he thought they could split the work. He couldn't afford to endanger the man he relied on any further since he got here, so he had to do his own part to pay it back. That was why he didn't say anything earlier.

And if anything, he wanted to avoid a fight if possible and solve things ethically.

It was the moment of truth. Swallowing nervously, he sensed movement and saw the jar shaking slightly. What climbed out was something he didn't expect.

It was a swarm of chibis colored in orange with primary colors following them was what he could make of initially. That was all filling his eyesight. Looking more closely, it was a swathe of orange hair and two brown twigs stabbed into their heads. There were shackles on their wrists and right ankle. Attached to them are chains that are connected to yellow spheres, red triangles, and blue rectangle polygons. They all wore white blouses with the sleeves torn off and purple and pink skirts.

It left him confused on what the hell he was looking at internally, but externally, he didn't bat an eye.

"Hoowee~, I didn't think he'd ever leave the store!"

Squeaky voices filled his ears as the chibis echoed from each other in relief. He could imagine it was quite cramped inside the jar.

Getting his bearings back, Touma addressed them "Wha-who are you people!?"

"Who me? I'm Suika! Suika Ibuki!" One of them acting as the group's representative brought her hand up and told him her name.

"And what about all of them?" Touma asked, bringing his eyes to look at every one of them. He raised an eyebrow seeing all of them being completely identical to each other.

"They're also me! Suika!" A different one answered him this time, waving her arm up and making one of the polygon flails and hit another's head.

"All of them!?" Touma exclaimed as sweat dripped from his cheek.

"Yuh-huh, I dispersed my body into smaller mes to hide in the jar." Suika said, indicating with how one of them disappeared into mist and morphed back into a chibi.

(This is magic used in Gensokyo?)

Touma was not unfamiliar with magic when he sees it. Though as to how it works in Gensokyo may be different than the one outside since this is but only one form he witnessed. But then again, he never had an extensive depth in understanding magic, so it wasn't that troublesome in his mind. It just means he'll have to change his methods to how he will approach Gensokyo.

"And why exactly did you hide inside the jar?" Touma asked, putting his hands on his hips like she had done something naughty.

"Waiting for someone interesting!" All of them said with a buzz of enthusiasm.

"...And who's the unlucky fellow you're looking for?" Touma asked slowly, completely drained from his voice. He had a feeling he knew who she was looking for but didn't want to ask anyway to spare any sliver of hope.

"That's you! Totally you! Who else?" The little Suikas mercilessly said those words and dashed away any optimism inside Touma. They flailed around, pointing at him to hammer in the inconvenient truth even further.

"Me huh... why?" Touma asked unenergetically, suppressing another sigh from rising.

"I saw it! You were with them dragons in the sky earlier! I was there too!" They all yelled and pointed at him wildly.

"Great, that makes two stalkers in a single night..." Touma dropped his head down and raised his arms as a gesture of giving up.

"I know! I heard you talking about that special satori earlier." All the mini Suikas looked at each other before turning all their eyes back at the human. "Hey, I introduced myself so you should too!" They all nodded in agreement from the representative of the group.

"Eh? Oh, um, my name is Kamijou Touma, nice to meet you Ibuki-san." Touma greeted respectfully.

"Call me Suika instead!" The representative said, jumping from the group and landing on the counter. "You see, I saw you getting carried away by a dragon and followed your direction and hid here seeing the shopkeeper was absent."

"Okay, but that doesn't answer what you want with me." Touma brought up, wanting her to get to the purpose of their presence in the store.

"I was planning on kidnapping you to heaven for a good time!" Suika said, some of the mini ones jumped out the jar on to the floor and tottered around him.

"S-so blunt!" He exclaimed in a panic, feeling trapped without knowing what her true powers extended to. "W-wait! You said 'was,' does that mean you changed your mind?"

He analyzed her word choice and saw a path in getting out of being kidnapped.

"Mn-Mn" Suika nodded her head in confirmation, causing the boy to release a relieved sigh. "I heard everything from your conversation with the shopkeeper and how you want to head over to the party going on at the shrine." Suika continued. "I also want you to get there. And because I'm here I want to go there as a group!"

"Eh, you want to help me?' Touma said in disbelief. Here was the first youkai he met, and instead of finding him as a meal she wants to help him. He wasn't sure if he had gotten lucky or not, but it was too early to tell.

"My real body is at the party right now. I wouldn't call it a party though..." Suika said sadly, her the rest had their mood plummeting. "Everyone is so tense they keep looking behind their backs instead of talkin'. They aren't livening things up like usual despite the sake and snacks being passed around, and the air is so cold. Even my sake isn't tasting so good to me."

That made the guilt in Touma's heart stab deeper. His landing in Gensokyo had changed the people more than he thought to stir discourse between them. He closed his eyes and moved his hands in his hoodie pocket.

"But, not everything is bad. I got to stay and hear something funny! Like how the shopkeeper sold that maid a baby carriage! And I think it was because you were there for it to happen!" Suika burst into laughter that caused the rest to join in. Their squeaky and silly voices filled the ground.

"You can't prove that!" Touma objected loudly, jumping his entire body back up and feeling accused of something he hadn't done.

"Oh really? Then what was that about how your misfortune was bringing you trouble?" Suika smirked, and so did the rest. She got a decent grasp of how this human worked from his conversation with Rinnosuke.

"Ugh!" Touma put his hands to his chest, reared his head back and took five steps back twitching all the while.

"I gotta say though, it was pretty smart of you not to get the shopkeeper involved any more than this. There's a high chance you'll get ripped apart at the party and Rinnosuke mighta faced the same." Suika captured his attention back with that statement. "You'll need a lot of protection at the shrine and Rinnosuke totally doesn't have enough to give you. But I do."

From the way she presented herself and puffing her chest, she carried a lot of self-confidence. And because her real body was at the shrine, she had a better grasp of the situation than him and Rinnosuke. The information she had was invaluable to Touma. There was no doubt in his mind; he had to ally himself with Suika. Her reasons for helping were harmless too in a way.

"He seemed different somehow, but I'm still way more reliable than that shopkeeper, _and_ I have a feeling it'll be waaaay more entertainin' if you were there with everyone present too!" Suika guffawed, imagining the chaos it would bring if the one who brought the dragons to Gensokyo stepped right in front of everyone.

"You're only helping for the thrill huh..." Touma stated, having recovered from that fatal blow.

"And you don't seem to be going so you can run home are you?" Suika stated mischievously. Her eyes were looking at him piercingly, almost as if she had seen through his facade earlier.

She was right; he had different plans he set for himself when hearing about the discussion happening over at the shrine.

"...Yeah, I don't plan on leaving so I can dump my problems here for everybody to solve. This crisis right now was brought here by me." Touma paused for a second to gather his resolve before continuing. "The dragons are my responsibility, so I'm going to join in on reigning them."

"Hmm, are you going to be alright with just that? I don't feel a lotta power from you. You might get in the way more likely." Suika stated solemnly, her jovial demeanor was replaced with graveness in a split-second which surprised him.

"That's harsh, but me lacking power is no excuse to turn away and not stand up to keeping the peace." Touma countered, making a stand for himself.

"The world isn't as kind as you think Touma. You're still human, and we're not so weak to be needing your help." Suika said sharply.

She was trying to intimidate him into reconsidering, and to do so she and the rest of the swarm fixed stared at him with their red-eyed slits.

It impressed her that the human's facial expression didn't flicker, not even by a minuscule instant.

Within his mind, he mulled over why he wanted to go there so badly. Why would he give up the chance to go home? Back to his Academy City where everyone was waiting for him? To stay and fight for something that he can't provide a helping hand or change substantially?

(Othinus… Index… Misaka…)

It was also a lot more logical to stay in hiding then achieving nothing from being there.

There was also the matter about answering Suika in a satisfactory way. Evaluating everything about her so far, she was an honest person who didn't hold back what she wanted. Going from there her character would despise lies and deceitfulness.

He couldn't afford to hold back and the answer he came to-

"… Maybe leaving it to the professionals is nice and the most obvious. No, it is the choice that would help me the most. Back home I have people waiting for me. If I decide to forget about this place, I know nothing about, nothing would change, and I won't feel pain. I can live the rest of my life being ignorant and still probably find happiness down the line. Gensokyo has nothing to do with me."

Touma admitted that there was nothing wrong in this choice to back away. And that encouraged him to stay even more. His body invigorated itself from his will, and the mist shrouding his mind was swept away by a raging tempest.

"Even so. Somewhere down the line I'll remember my choice and regret it. There's nothing in it for me, but when did I stood up and raised my fist in the interest of what will reward me or how much gratitude I'll be given? There might not be people who will thank me or consider me anything else but the guy who brought this hell into their home. But that never mattered to me from the beginning."

He mustered energy into his legs so he can make a few steps until he was 25 centimeters apart from Suika. His voice was calm, so calm and collected like he was struggling to hold back his smoldering intensity.

"Gensokyo has nothing to do with me, but the opposite is true. I'm going to finish what I started and be the one at the front against the dragons. To walk away from this is the same as betraying myself. That's right, in the end, it's just to appease my own self-interest! But Is that so wrong!?"

He stopped holding himself back from how he truly felt about his position in Gensokyo. His new conviction became steady and unbreakable transmitting them through his eyes gazing into Suika's.

All of them stared at him where time extended into the minutes between seconds. A snort escaped their lips, slapping their knees in amusement until they stopped to look at him again.

"...I think I can understand why them dragons were flocking around you. Just a little bit though. Nyahaha~, you're really interesting Touma." Suika and the swarm giggled together, ending the previous tense dispute.

That appeared to have convinced her.

The swarm and her dispersed into black mist and reformed into her normal body shape standing on the counter. He guessed her height to be reaching his knees. Observing this magic, he had never seen before, he mused on its possible applications.

(She can assemble and disassemble herself into a smaller mass… wonder if she can do the opposite?)

"You think so?" Touma considered, letting a small smile to grow from his lips.

"Uh-huh!" Suika agreed instantly, nodding their heads and feeling very excited. "Before we get to business, let's make a promise here!"

"A promise?" Touma asked, wondering about the meaning behind the promise she wanted.

"I will take you to the shrine, _but_ you have to do me a favor." Suika said, striking a pose with a hand to her hip and the other outstretched at Touma in a stopping gesture.

"And what is this favor?" Touma asked anxiously; a foreboding sensation passed through his body.

"Drink from my gourd!" Suika declared, bringing out a purple gourd with charms decorating it like she said out of the jar and jabbing it towards Touma, indicating for him to take it.

"...Uhhhh, can't I do something else instead?" Touma suggested hesitantly, wanting to avoid the notion of drinking alcohol. He was a person raised in Japanese society for crying out loud. And that one time doesn't count since he needed to make an apology.

"Are you rejecting an oni's promise!? Drinking sake in Gensokyo is customary for everybody! It's a representation of our new-born friendship!"

(So, she was an oni.)

That made him think back to what he learned about oni. They were either vicious brutes that brutalized and kidnapped humans into their caves to feast on their flesh, or they were rarely virtuous beings that took pride in their strength. Suika so far fell to the latter category.

"And where I'm from its frowned upon for people my age to start drinking." Touma rejected her deal seriously.

"Geez! The Outside World has turned into being so boring! The party's moving and you need to join with the spirit! Otherwise, I ain't takin you there!" Suika complained and threw down her ultimatum.

It was the final moment for him to make his decision. And he needed an experienced person to guide him in Gensokyo, a land where he is unprotected by its laws or possess any power.

He ultimately had to weigh two options. Go with Rinnosuke and die together or go with Suika and die alone.

"...You know what? I don't have the energy right now to argue. Here, pass it forward." Touma conceded, gesturing for her to give him the gourd.

Perking up in reply, Suika handed it to him gladly.

Grabbing it out of her hand he uncapped it and peeked inside to inspect the contents. Not done with that, he removed it from his eye and held it to nose to find anything suspicious mixed inside it. His actions provoked Suika into a fit.

"You dare doubt an oni's sake!? We're not the dishonest folks and break promises!" Suika glowered, feeling very offended by Touma's insensitivity.

"Sigh... yes, yes, I hear you. Then here I go. Wish me luck." Feeling the heat from her glare, Touma hurried up and moved the gourd above his mouth, tilting it slowly down.

Consequences will be damned.

God help us all.

* * *

[1]: Koishi's name can be written as "little rock." It might be a connection to her ability to make her presence unnoticeable.

**A/N: Be honest, how many of you really thought he was going to have a good night's sleep on his first night in Gensokyo?**


	7. First Night III

**A/N: Yo, took me a while to get this one out.**

**Review responses:**

**M1nhTre37: Touma will never get a break tonight and you'll find out soon. I will say here that nobody knows or has a clue on what Imagine Breaker is in Gensokyo.**

**WiliamZ0: Yes, the plan has been shot through the foot. I do have an idea for how I'll fit in Cirno later on.**

**Guest: Thank you for the response to Touma's characterization and how his speech needed a little spicing up. So I went back and edited it. Initially, I tried to avoid being wordy about it. You're right about being strange for Rinnosuke to apply ointment when Touma watches so I rationalized it as keeping an eye on Touma under his store. Tell me again if it's still too awkward and if I need to rewrite it.**

**Touhou For Life: To put in perspective on how broken Toaru is. In the start of the series, Touma had to face off against a human grimoire library of 103,000 where a single one is comparable to a nuke. Then he had to fight against an alchemist who can manipulate reality with his thoughts. Then he fought a guy who can manipulate vectors. And then he fought against an incomplete Archangel that controls celestial bodies. The guy who manipulates vectors is also the weakest of the four I listed. All of this happened during one month in the series. In Touma's right hand is Imagine Breaker, a power that supposedly negates the supernatural but also has another role that the series hasn't answered in over 40 novels. He is less than half a years-old for hundreds of billion years but is physically 16. The ones at the top of power in Toaru can destroy multiverses by accident if they even breathe. They are Magic Gods who can manipulate time as they please to manipulate fate into proceeding to how they want it to and destroy and recreate the world without effort. They are by definition infinities and there's a whole group of them lying in secret so they don't disturb the world with their enormous presence. There are characters who can supposedly kill them. One of them is a golden retriever wearing a rocket-booster wielding oversized guns who killed a magic god transforming into a comet to destroy Touma. And yes, I just wrote a sentence about a golden retriever killing an immortal god. Generally, I would vehemently refer that you read the novels and not get your views on the series affected by fanfiction.**

**Disclaimer: To Aru Majutsu No Index belongs to Kazuma Kamachi and Touhou Project belongs to ZUN. I don't own either of these properties.**

**Chapter 3: First night in Gensokyo III**

* * *

Closing the door behind him, Rinnosuke Morichika strides ahead of his store and stops in a fair distance in the dampness by the rain. Around the perimeter is an open area with a visible path to his left and right and facing him is tenebrous forestry his eyes couldn't pierce through.

(That satori must be nearby. She could be hidden behind the trees, or perhaps she's right in front of me.)

He stood his ground, wearing the black rain cloak with the rain bouncing off him to create an unorganized symphony that drowned out every other noise.

He darted his eyes carefully in keenness, feeling the motion of the air on his skin together with trying to pick up subtle vibrations under his ears.

(It's been a while since I had to be this vigilant. My body has gotten so stiff from the lack of exercise.)

Wringing his wrists and cracking his neck, Rinnosuke remained in his spot leisurely. Despite being observed by an invisible watcher, he was utterly calm and yet there was an air of danger never before exerted by him.

If the people who were familiar with this man were to see him now, they wouldn't recognize him in the slightest.

Rinnosuke did not let his guard down for a moment. Nostalgia filled his body in remembrance for similar situations he experienced before in his long life.

Ten minutes flew by, and he thought the girl must've left already before-

"Hellooo~, are you the shopkeeper of that store?"

There it is he thought.

From the child-like voice below, he tilted his head to meet the spacey gaze of dark green. She was a petite girl with her bright green hair only visible from their bangs which were covered by her black hat tied with a yellow ribbon around it. She wore a yellow shirt buttoned up with diamond-shaped buttons and had a green collar with the rims of the sleeves having green frills. From her bottom is a green skirt with beautiful flowers designing it in a lighter hue. And to the bottom was a pair of black shoes.

And he couldn't forget the trademark appendage belonging to the Satori species. Hers was purple, and its cords extending it was attached to her torso and ankles. This one was special indeed since it had its eyelids completely closed.

(No doubt about it, it's Koishi… what a pain.)

"Yes, I am this store's shopkeeper, Rinnosuke Morichika, and you?" A polite greeting is in need at times like these.

"Koishi Komeiji~, I'm here in search for something, is the store open right now?" She asked, tilting her head to the side.

Rinnosuke observed her initial behavior and facial expressions. They were blank. Utterly emotionless. Her movements carried no will of thought, her smile was haunting, and her eyes… they had no meaning or intentions behind them. Now that he had a good look for himself on who she was, he can believe the news on how abnormal she is.

It might have creeped him out had he hadn't seen worse.

"I am deeply regretful to say that its under closed hours young miss." Rinnosuke told her sadly, feigning it with an apologetic expression.

"What a shame." She pouted, feeling not an ounce of sadness in her voice.

Her response didn't convince him at all. That detachment in attitude was trouble in every sense.

(It's not going to be easy getting rid of her. I guess it's a good opportunity to ask.)

"Please excuse me, young miss, since you're here can you indulge me for one question?"

"Questions? I don't mind them."

(Of course not, you don't have one.)

"What exactly are you looking for in my store?" Rinnosuke enquired, already knowing the answer beforehand.

"I was looking to buy a new pet." Koishi revealed in her detached voice, emoting false emotions by swinging her hips to the sides faintly.

Dangerous he concluded. This girl must not be allowed to find Touma.

"A pet you say. What kind?" Rinnosuke continued to impose questions on Koishi to tire her out or disinterest her.

"A human pet." Koishi stated candidly what he already knew and expected.

Just like he suspected. Whatever she intends to do with Touma won't be pretty in his mind. It didn't surprise him a youkai would find humans fascinating to toy with to satiate their curiosity for amusement.

"For a youkai, humans to you might have some appeal. Well, not like it matters to me." Rinnosuke nudged his glasses up his nose bridge by habit.

"Are you human? You don't exactly have the sensitivity of one. It's a lot closer to a youkai instead."

"I am both and neither."

He told her succinctly to which she got the idea subsequently.

"Oh well, if it's not open now I'll just stay outside and wait." Koishi stated, crouching down and laying her chin on her hands, bobbling it playfully.

Oh no, that won't do. He and the boy can't afford to entertain this girl or worse, let the girl find him. For her to stay around is unacceptable. He needed a way to push her out without coming off as rude.

"I wouldn't recommend staying out here in the rain. You might catch a cold if you remain outside for too long." Rinnosuke advised artificially.

"Then why did you come outside?"

"My constitution allows me to survive even the harshest of storms." Rinnosuke disclosed one of the few advantages when it comes to being a half-youkai and half-human.

And because it was thanks to another element.

"And I'm deeply, deeply sorry, but my store does not deal with living goods. I'm afraid that no matter how much you wait; the store will never have what you're looking for." Rinnosuke made up a troubled face, trying to put a front that he didn't have something to hide.

"That's fine. The human I'm supposed to meet will arrive here no doubt." Koishi was steadfast against the logic the shopkeeper tried to convince her of.

"What makes you so certain?" Rinnosuke asked one last time to escape from having to enter a combative form.

"What makes it so doubtful for you?" Koishi fired back almost briskly enough to fool him.

'Don't try and pretend like I'm not aware of you hiding him you bastard' - Is what he inferred between the lines of her words.

He was desperate now. At this rate, a battle was almost ensured. And desperate times call for desperate measures.

"…My store has a certain reputation where it's barren. Humans and Youkai seldom visit despite the store's purpose to treat them both warmly." Rinnosuke forced out from his clenched teeth. The lengths to what he would do to protect a single human was admirable.

"…I'm sorry for my carelessness earlier." She bowed almost earnestly, feeling pity despite not being able to. The shopkeeper's dire establishment was that bad it even made her empathetic.

(This little brat!)

He struck a fake smile with veins pumping out visibly on his face.

"Now that you're aware, I ask that you leave and look elsewhere."

"I'll be on my way. I hope I wasn't bothering you too much with my presence." She plainly told him, stepping away and turning her back to him with a whirl of her skirt.

Rinnosuke didn't even get a chance to interject the moment she disappeared from his vision in a blur. Soon after, he forgot everything about her and their conversation. There was a blank in his mind and no matter how, he couldn't recollect anything.

What happened was no doubt the work of Koishi Komeiji. The power to manipulate the unconscious mind. What she did just now was make herself unperceivable to others even in plain sight.

The still invisible Koishi skipped away from Rinnosuke to the edge of the forestry. Then she suddenly turned around. In a casual pace, she flapped her arms into the air, hovering towards Kourindou to the right of Rinnosuke as she waved her arms around the air.

A moment later, she was beside him and almost hovered pass by him.

Only to feel something placed on her left shoulder.

"You thought just because you had your unconscious mind; I wouldn't notice you, right?"

The unbelievable just happened.

This wasn't by mere stroke of luck. The way he turned around, the way he held his arm and the way he put down his weight so accurately on her shoulder to halt her was chillingly frightening. It didn't belong to someone who was unaware. He knew exactly where she was.

The man who turned around and directing a sidelong glance at her had given the impression that he was in another realm from before. His tone of voice transformed into another person. That look in his eye and manner of his body carried a venerable fearsomeness wholly opposed to the eccentric shopkeeper he was known for.

"Huh? How did you know?" Koishi gasped as the muscles on her face deformed into a look of disturbance.

Gone was the dopey smile she wore on her face. Genuinely being the most emotive she's been in centuries.

It was supposed to be impossible. It would have to take an extraordinary explanation beyond logic and reason for this to be possible.

But didn't she witness the impossible multiple times tonight? Dragons who could care less of her power, a human that perceives her subtle movements, and now a mixture of human and fantasy can ignore her will?

Koishi Komeiji trembled in coming to understand how special tonight is.

"What's a young-looking girl like you doing hiding a knife on your person?"

The mystery man spoke those words of observation in a voice so sharp and devoid of hospitality, revealing to her that he knew with some method found the possession she currently held in secret.

But his self-awareness of her seemed limited in a way. The man can't remember their previous conversation, what her purpose in going to Kourindou, or her name.

Or maybe this mystery man is trying to fool her into thinking that she still had power over him.

"Explain for yourself right now. Why you are carrying a weapon like that and appearing to plan a burglary? My store no less?" The mystery man asks warningly.

Should she say something unsatisfactory, he might rip her apart from where she stood (or spot in the air).

"Do you know how to play danmaku? I'm looking to play with someone." Koishi relaxed with such precision to say those words completely unperturbed from the threatening aura of the man. Her subconscious mind can be very terrifying in many aspects.

And clever to boot. Taking a chance, she assumed the man had really forgotten their previous conversation and answered without a lie.

Clear yourself of suspicion.

Bring up the rules for how conflicts are to be resolved.

And gauge the man's reaction.

"Danmaku? Who doesn't know of it? However, I'm the type of person that never partakes in such sports in his life."

It was like the Yama had decreed down her death. That not a moment too soon she'll be lying on the ground and having Rin carry her back home.

The roles have been reversed. It was she that needed to plead for his forgiveness and escape death.

"Ehhhh? Really? Buuuh! How disappointing." Koishi pouted away to the side where the man wasn't looking at her expression. He can't be allowed to notice the panic on her face.

"Although…tonight feels special somehow. You've come at the right time. I have something I wanted to test, so I'll humor you for danmaku." The man who couldn't be Rinnosuke curled his lips in a simple smile.

"You feel the same way!? Yay! Since I'm the challenger, you get to pick the rules." Koishi flapped her wings rapidly and gained back her dopey smile.

Mercy smiled down on her.

Rinnosuke(?) lifted his hand from her shoulder so she can land on the ground softly. "What should we bet on our game? Don't worry. I won't ask for much aside from you leaving the premise."

Koishi might've have gulped, but her unconscious mind had already put her on auto-pilot, so the words that left her mouth came smoothly. "I get to buy an item from your inventory regardless if the store is closed or not."

"Good enough."

From there he proceeded to name the rules for how their danmaku shall proceed.

The rules agreed upon were three bombs, five lives, and a time limit of 30 minutes.

Rinnosuke and Koishi separated away to the right and left sides of Kourindou respectively five meters apart from the opposite person.

The precedent time before the game began had none of the sportsmanship or fairness that was supposed to be established by the Spell Card System. Her opponent radiated bloodlust that viewed her not as an equal or rival, but an enemy to be put down.

The impact, however, diminished from the visibly swollen cheek of his.

The event for which will mark the beginning of the game will be marked by him removing his glasses.

"Before we begin, how much do you know of magic from the Outside World?" Rinnosuke asked the other player quite randomly.

Koishi did not understand where he was going with this, but she was excited when she heard magic and the Outside World in the same sentence.

"Magic still exists in the Outside World!?" Koishi squealed in curiosity. She was eager to learn what the magic outside Gensokyo was like.

"Yes, it does. And in many forms foreign to what you're familiar within Gensokyo. Why I brought this up has to do with a weakness of mine... or incapability."

"Your weakness?" Koishi tilted her head cutely.

"I'm not much of a person who flies. So, I was wondering if it's alright for me to use a unique bomb in our game to even things out." Rinnosuke elaborated, his face not having lost its confidence and indomitable will despite Koishi now aware of his inability to fly.

"I don't mind. I'm curious on what outside magic looks like!" She allowed it elatedly, looking forward to something that might blow her mind away.

"All right then, don't say it's unfair to me afterwards okay?" Rinnosuke smirked, knowing everything was going to his advantage.

(I don't bother with flying since it was synonymous to death for being foolish in the battlefield back then.)

"With the chitchat out of the way let's begin."

On his signal, the swollen cheek of his evaporated into steam and his face was smooth everywhere. High speed regeneration from accelerated activity, his cells pumped beyond human limitations and healed the damage he gained a little before coming outside his shop.

Rinnosuke gently removed his glasses slowly, and during the process, Koishi caught a glimpse of something inhumane.

Those golden eyes of his and their black pupils mutated into slits.

Her first reaction once those glasses of his came off was to take to the air.

"For my first bomb, **St. Peter's Interception Spell [Oh demons carrying this magic user, promptly let go]**!"

Without hesitation, Rinnosuke launched his first bomb the second right after the game began.

Koishi did not understand what this bomb could do. So, she lifted herself higher into the air but felt a shock coursed through her body.

She did not comprehend where she was hit. Without any warning, she and her flight were shut down as she descended from 50 meters off the ground.

Before she landed on the mud harshly, she could not make out what his spell did to her or where it came from.

It was a common spell that denied flight and banished demons from gracing the sky. The spell had no visible patterns that honored Danmaku. It was a thoroughly gross negation of danmaku by principle. In the Outside World, anyone can use this spell when they only needed to utter the same phrase. It spread far and wide in popularity and was the reason why flying in the Outside World was unpopular for mobility when you became an easy target.

"OWWWWW~! No fair! This isn't fun!" Koishi wailed woefully, thinking this was a major crime against everything danmaku stood for. Her face was red in pain as she staggered to pick herself off the soggy ground. She tried to fly again and was met with failure with every attempt. The spell did more to her body than disabling flight.

"Don't bother, the spell will last for an hour, so why don't we take our time having fun with our feet firmly on the ground?" A chilling voice filled her ears, and she looked back to see the smirk on Rinnosuke's face with his slits boring into her.

The aura blowing off the man was like a cascade wearing her down even further as she tried to resist with all her physical might to stand up.

All her complaints were cut off when she made eye contact as her body froze. Koishi realized It was a horrible decision to fight this man. She needed to get to her feet in order to fight back.

"Tell me, what do you know about the Sword of Kusanagi?" Rinnosuke popped this question at her way as she tried to lift herself off the ground.

"Nothing, uh..."

"Rinnosuke Morichika."

"Nothing Rinnosuke-san. Can you teach me? I like stories." Koishi rasped out in an effort to stand up finally.

"Then you'll like this. In history, the sword was gouged out from the fourth tail of Yamamoto-no-Orochi by the Storm God Susanoo-no-Mikoto. The kami named the sword Ame-no-Murakumo-no-Tsurugi as a gift to Amaterasu. It was then later gifted to the 12th emperor of Japan, Takeru Yamato where he renamed it as the sword Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi." Rinnosuke told the tale of the legendary sword of Japan in a passionate voice. Then turned a bit sour indicating from his tone.

"But through the years the sword has never been given a chance to unleash its true power. It's been locked away by the names imprinted onto it! This sword is not one melded by human hands or a blessed creation of Heaven! It is a weapon born from the carcass of a monster of chaos!" Rinnosuke elucidated regretfulness for the sword locked away from returning to its true roots for so long.

"And it's not the fault of the sword, but its mediocre wielders from the ages. Orochi was a dragon born from the legends people forged around Tenryuu. From that respect, it is in a way its child. And within my hands as its wielder, I can reveal its true might as an unnamed sword unrecorded by history!" Rinnosuke claimed his rightful ownership of the sword.

He placed his right hand on the handle of the sword dangling from the left side of his hip. Gripping the handle, he crouched intimidatingly with his left thumb held to the sword's lower guard. He was preparing to unsheathe the sword for a quick and clean slash.

An ethereal aura of ocean blue and rain was emitted by the sword enclosed in its sheath. Rinnosuke channeled his magic into it and foams of bubbles covered his hands. They popped away to reveal blue dragon scales replacing his skin.

It was an auspicious sign that the sword recognized Rinnosuke as its true master.

Koishi had her knees bent and her hands laying on them with her legs shaking. She broke into sweating involuntarily and couldn't break out of the horror to get her body back into proper motion. She was rooted in place from the aura of the man and sword synchronizing their power and can only stare at the nigh imminent finisher.

"Here it comes! **Unknown Sign [Cohesion and Adhesio-"**

The moment for the sword to be drawn did not arrive.

(Nugh-!?)

The first thing Rinnosuke noticed was his vision blurring. And then a dull ache at the back of his head. His brain was losing feedback from his limbs. Slowly he lost feeling in his legs and arms before his torso went out too.

His body tumbled forward and fell flat on the wet ground. The burst of magic surrounding him had dissipated along with the scales.

From his position on the ground, he struggled to lift his head and saw what had done him in.

(A mirror?)

Thereafter the lights went out for him.

Koishi witnessed Rinnosuke's retirement from the game in full detail. An object went like a black blur right above his head and slammed it like a bowling ball being dropped from a tower. There was a bang sound, and the man's bloodlust along with his aura faded away like mist.

The object slowed down after its impact with the man. It bounced off the ground a few times spinning in the air. It rolled on the ground as far as it could before landing on the flat surface in front of the shopkeeper's head.

Koishi finally got a good look at what the object was. It was an intricate and ornate designed mirror.

She did not have a clue to who was responsible. She was uncertain for why it happened. And she couldn't even fathom how events had transpired to this point.

But she was sure about one thing.

That she totally won that.

Now nobody can get in her way with her prize.

Koishi stood upright and walked energetically away from the scene, closing the distance between the door. Her hands were closing in on the doorknob. In just a few seconds, what she was looking for all night will belong to her.

She stood before the entrance, reached out her hand and-

-met with a board of wood planting into her face.

"Hic! Accswullelarutor! Did ya know you're a hand-hic-some guy!? I repeat! You're really handsome!"

"Get off me you shitty goddess!"

"Run away Aniki!"

* * *

"Whoops~, didn't mean for that to happen."

A soft melodic voice dinged out unapologetically. A hint of playfulness in its tone unconcealed its action to be on purpose and knew full well for being responsible.

The entity whose voice belonged to was on the moon, specifically on its Near Side where the Earth viewed it every day. Squatting with its legs hunched close together, it eyed the Earth hanging above.

This entity was beautiful beyond the human degree. It was naked in every nook and cranny. The faint, transparent body was 170cm in height, had well-developed muscles but had the curves of a woman. There was no genitalia to see, but it had C cup breasts to indicate it was leaning on the feminine side. It's long Alice blue hair like the clear sky reached its feet. And the most distinguishing feature was the crown. The bands were digging into its hair making them non-visible, and there was no fancy cap or arch for this type of crown. Protruding from its front hair connected to the bands were two golden horns. They were like branches in an arc reaching the center and had smaller symmetrical branches growing from the horns.

"The Earth is so beautiful to look at from here, don't you agree, Lunarians?" The human of inhumane beauty called out to a group of people behind it.

Behind the entity was two princesses trapped inside bubbles of water with a group of rabbits aiming their rifles at the androgynous entity.

Yorihime and Toyohime are at the mercy of that entity. They were its prisoners of war and the rabbits they lead were shaking, lacking the will to hold their guns from their unsteady hands.

"W-who are you!? Are you Ryūjin-sama?" Toyohime gurgled in a terrified manner with clattering teeth in mad zeal. She had her suspicions to the dragon's identity. The Ryūjin at least to her seemed to be the most obvious.

"What a cute question. Hmm, you don't appear to comprehend my words still. Here, I'll descend my level a little so you can understand."

The entity held its fingers to its throat, making them jump. Then made a turning motion of a wrench loosening a screw.

"I'm not that kid Ryūjin, but his idol and reference point. You may call me Tenryuu."

That's right, this human of unearthly origins was the Branch Horn dragon, Tenryuu. The invader who whooped Lunarian ass. It was some system being refined to transmit an astral body to experience the limitations of the human form.

But that wasn't what worried the two princesses of the former Lunar Capital. It was the fact that this dragon predated one of the most ancient dragons they ever knew. It was even older than the Kotoamatsukami as well.

She called Ryūjin 'kid'. The depths in its ancientness spanned innumerable eras. To even consider it appropriate within the limits of the living and dead were nonsensical.

"All of you appear to be tongue-tied at the moment. Perhaps you'd feel better if someone you're familiar with is present that could put you more at ease?" The dragon suggested in consideration, poking its cheek with a finger.

With the snap of a finger, the waters over at the Far Side churned and wrung out a submarine to the surface. The waters lifted it and flung it over through the distance. With a deafening rumble, the submarine landed behind the group of moon rabbits who buckled down in shock.

Everyone present but Tenryuu looked over their shoulders awaiting whoever will come out of the plated door.

A ramp drawled out from the bottom of the door. Handlebars darted out the ramp as it lowered to the ground.

The door burst open whereupon Sagume came out aiming a pistol at Tenryuu, and behind her was Tsukuyomi. That surprised the princesses and rabbits with hope until they felt fear again as the two were put into the same situation as they are.

"Ah, the sage of the moon and the heron who got Amewakahiko killed [1]. A pleasure to make your acquaintance, my name is Ten-"

Metal bullets traveled in the empty space to which they phased through Tenryuu, causing ripples to refract over its body much to the horror of everyone and panic of Sagume.

"-ryuu. Sheesh, you people are so high-strung. But it makes you a lot more entertaining to deal with than from how you usually behave. Those colorful expressions on your faces are much more delightful than your constant resting bitch faces."

Sagume dropped her pistol in abject horror. Her fingers involuntarily pressed the fingers at the mention of Amewakahiko. It wouldn't surprise her that the consequence for such rashness earned their deaths.

All of them slowly processed their last thoughts before death. They were also nonplussed by the casual slang being thrown by the otherwise magnificent being.

Standing up from its squatting position, Tenryuu finally turned around to face the group. There was no way they wouldn't remember those eyes burned into their sockets. The golden irises and black slits are the exact same ones belonging to the dragon who destroyed the moon. The princesses and rabbits had labored breathes with their new trauma infecting their brains.

Tenryuu savored their contorted faces drowning in fear but stopped to address them.

"Relax, I'm not going to mistreat you." The astral held an arm to suggest it meant no harm.

"Mistreat us? You're the one who's responsible for everything!"

Tsukuyomi stepped up in front of Sagume and roared at Tenryuu with his shaking finger.

"I didn't want to visit the moon, but orders are orders. You had it coming for a long time though. You humans who escaped the Earth and cozied yourselves on the moon I left alone. But then you cowards had to interfere with the Earth declaring war with the Kunitsukami to take over their land. Living that good life as marionettes of the puppeteer above the spectating aisles. Even with the majority of the population gone to the exiled world, nothing has really changed. You Lunarians are so persistent in your warped view of superiority over the world." Tenryuu openly mocked them, blaring its exasperated voice for all to hear.

Never had they felt so powerless and humiliated in their life. There was a lot to dig through from its words, but the most important part was-

"Where did you sent our people, you monster!?" Yorihime thundered pathetically. Her plea got the attention of Tenryuu, and Yorihime regretted her words. Garnering the attention of Tenryuu was the last thing any sane person should ever do.

"For starters, why don't we do a little back-and-forth? This way we can get a move on instead of wasting time pointing fingers." The friendly look on its face was so brazen, it pissed everyone off.

(Uh, everything is to be blamed on you!)

"Tell me, what do you know about time?" The astral body clapped to begin the exchange.

They grasped their situation a little more clearly now. They won't be getting any more information unless they entertain the dragon in human skin. The answer they were given was another question that leads up to where their people might be.

At least the dragon wasn't offended by Tsukuyomi's rude language.

Wheezing out air and water with saliva running down her mouth, Yorihime assessed her options with her brain operating dully. She can no longer hear the gods in her head. The possibly of them abandoning her or if the dragon disabled their connection was unanswered. Deciding quickly, she was the first to give in to the words from the dragon.

"Time is made up of short tiny instants, so short that no normal beings can perceive them known as femto. Time being continuous is only an illusion. That is what we've been taught." Yorihime avoided asking about the animosity it supposedly held for her kind, fearing that it would sour the dragon's mood when stepping out of her boundaries. While it already made itself look nonhostile unless provoked, she didn't want to take any chances.

Toyohime shot her a look of betrayal but she ignored it, thinking this was a prime opportunity for answers.

"Good for you, you're wrong. Time is all but a straight line connected. The past, present, and future are one and the same. Moreover, that isn't even the shortest instant." brusquely answered the dragon.

"Those little instants or branches you theorized don't remain. They get discarded. An unseen amount of unused time is flung into a new world that hardly affects this world. This single timeline where parallel worlds and multiple universes don't exist can be expanded or contract like…," The dragon mulled over its next choice of words, "rubber, yes, a rubber band."

Now its voice turned into extreme boredom as if it were talking about the most mundane of facts. It was difficult to discern it paying any attention to Yorihime anymore.

Eyes wide, they couldn't accept the absurd information they heard from the dragon. It went against what they learned here, where they were raised and taught by Eirin, the Brain of the Moon.

"Returning to your original question, I sent your brethren exactly to that new world where time is truly meaningless, and everything reflects the image of the real world every night. It was the only place I could think of to deport them from the moon. That should prevent the problem of their purities being tarnished, so you can put that worry to rest."

"Absurd! we cannot accept your theory of time in conflict with ours!" Tsukuyomi's voiced out everybody's thoughts. His composure was still being recovered as his damaged psyche mended itself much like everyone else.

Tenryuu scoffed at the man for his stubbornness. "You Lunarians really are incapable of accepting anything else but your own science. That's not an attitude you should have if you want to get along with others. I'm sure unlike you, the rest of your brethren are having an enlightening experience in the exiled world." The dragon's words were practically scathing, but if they stretched their senses, they might've noticed a consoling tone beneath it.

"What are you implying about us? What's happening to our people!?" Toyohime cried out from her bubble. The hysteria in her voice was unlike her usual self, but it couldn't be helped after everything that has happened.

"Geez, those questions are going to take a while to answer. Just to be sure, do you want the short version or the long one?" Tenryuu scratched the back of its head. The motions were artificial, to act out the normal behaviors of a human. Though the effects were realistic, it was not genuine.

"The latter." Sagume was the one to answer for them.

"Wow, you guys sure want to bore me to death. But you at least deserve that much I suppose. Damn do I wish I had the ability to articulate my words a lot more concisely." Tenryuu openly complained. Though the dragon sounded rough on them, it was responsive to any questions asked of it.

"Okay…how do I begin…do you know what this is?" Tenryuu held a microdevice stuck between its two fingers. Their response was to shake their heads by the indistinct device foreign to what they have. "This here is a nanomachine implanted on your home when those astronauts from America landed on the moon. They had an external helper with them so the possibility for their landing became possible."

"Those vile humans that polluted our moon had someone pulling the strings on them!?" Yorihime exclaimed with the rabbits behind feeling the same mutual reactions. Not a day passed by for the rabbits who participated on that fateful day, remembering the slaughtering of their comrades from the weapons those humans wielded and their horrifying uppercuts.

To confirm her words, Tenryuu nodded its head. "Mmm hmm. You can say that man was responsible for how the modern world has grown. He was able to create artificial life force, so he enhanced the astronauts without them noticing by planting nanomachines inside their suits. And because America had no idea about magic in the first place, they were easy to control."

"Where are you going with this?" Yorihime could not help herself, she needed to know the point for what the dragon was trying to spell out.

"I'm getting to that. Excuse me for going off-topic for a moment, I have something to ask." Tenryuu ignored her protest and turned to the group of rabbits, chilling them to the core and backing away slowly.

"You."

"M-m-m-me!?" Rei'sen squeaked out. The unlucky rabbit got pushed forward in front and out of the group which she made a look of betrayal behind her shoulder.

"I don't know if you're one of the rabbits who were there at the time, but you seem to be especially close to these two here." Tenryuu gestured to the trapped princesses. "For what purpose do you still stand by them?"

"H-h-huh!?" Everything was going too fast for Rei'sen, and her heart couldn't keep up. She was going to faint or throw up, or both at this rate. Getting the words out was difficult for her clattering teeth going at the speed of sound.

"When the astronauts arrived here, they ran off to save their own skin and ordered for the now deceased rabbits to engage with the enemy, knowing they would die. For them to go near the enemies meant to harbor impurities. But you moon rabbits have no problems about such concepts. Don't you feel any anger? Any hatred to the people who sent your comrades to their death? The same goes for all you rabbit. Must have been agonizing to watch Armstrong powerbombing your comrades." Within reasonable considerations for their losses, Tenryuu covered its mouth to hide the smirk it was sporting.

The group behind Rei'sen broke into a muttering mess. The rabbits that escaped with their lives that day held grimacing faces. The newer recruits paled when they learned of the truth and worried that one day they might die as well if they still followed the Watatsukis.

The Watatsukis panicked in their minds. They wouldn't admit it, but the loss of the support of the rabbits was something they fervently didn't wish to occur now that they've lost everything precious to them.

Rei'sen too had chaotic thoughts all alone in her head. She wanted to retreat from reality and the only possible alternative was to cave inside her mindscape. The burden to answer was too much, she wanted to make a break for it and abandon everything. Whether it was because of her rabbit instincts or her true feelings was something she didn't have an answer for.

However-

The dragon wasn't going to be satisfied by such cowardness she felt. She felt the eyes of it penetrating into her soul, crushing her spine from its weight. Shivering as the center of attention, she resolved herself. It was do or die, and the dragon will not have its way over them.

"I…once ran away from the moon…as a deserter." The start was shaky, and everybody had a tough time making out the nonaudible words.

"Hoh? Interesting." Tenryuu could make out what her next response was from that alone. It rubbed its chin in contemplation.

"But Yorihime-sama and Toyohime-sama took me back in. The only punishment given to me was to become their pet…"

"And you felt no desire for freedom?" The question was rhetoric, it was easy for Tenryuu to know where this was going.

Rei'sen nodded her head nervously before swallowing down her rising bile. "T-they forgave me and gave me a home and c-comrades. M-my life was theirs from then on. I c-can't speak for everyone a-and their feelings, but no matter what you say, I won't abandon them!" She shouted in her tiny voice courageously.

Yorihime and Toyohime had grateful looks towards Rei'sen, knowing that someone won't give up them gave them hope. The rabbits behind her also looked astonished. Some had their doubts lightened, and while others still harbored them, they weren't going to abandon their captains either at least. Not until they got their own answers.

But they couldn't celebrate too early, they had no clue to what Tenryuu's reaction will be and that filled them with dread.

What they did not expect was soft laughter filling their ears. They snapped their heads and saw Tenryuu smiling for the first time. Their first thought when catching a glimpse was that it was beautiful, lacking any cruel mannerisms.

"That's a good rabbit you have their Watatsukis. Make sure you don't lose this one like the last time."

Tenryuu honestly advised them to keep the diamond in the rough they found. It blew everyone's mind that it was impressed by a moon rabbit. A MOON RABBIT of all things. And her reasoning wasn't even that impressive; it was flimsy at best and spoke nothing but herself.

"Sorry for the interruption. We can get back to the middle of answering your questions."

That also surprised them. The dragon was apologizing to them. Its tone was genuinely apologetic and its mood a lot lighter than before.

They had trouble understanding this dragon's behavior, mannerisms, or general attitude. Did it have an easier time dealing with moon rabbits as opposed to Lunarians?

"Right, where did I left off? Oh yes, the nanomachines. Their purpose wasn't only to guide them and reach the moon; it was also to act as surveillance for the Lunar Capital and control it." Tenryuu stroked its astral body's chin.

"Nonsense! No human technology or magic on Earth can bypass our Capital! Whoever this man is cannot do so if he's human!" Tsukuyomi kept quiet, but he was outraged again from the dragon's words. From his volatile personality about his supposed superiority over everything on Earth, he forgot about his position in the mercy of Tenryuu in the spur of the moment. Everybody felt an imaginary cold splash of water soaking them from the audacity of Tsukuyomi. The sage of the moon felt the pits of his stomach churning from his slip of the tongue.

But Tenryuu didn't concern itself by the nonbeliever and shrugged. From its mind, it knew this was to be expected. "You've got a bad habit to decide what's possible and what isn't. Work on it." Tenryuu rebuked him which got under his skin, but he bit back a retort. "You're right about him being human or was I should say. What he is isn't important; it's the fact that someone from Earth was able to invade your Capital undetected."

The Lunar Capital's existence hinges on its secrecy and had done everything in its power to prevent its discovery for the larger world. And yet the dragon implied in the Capital's isolation, it was controlled externally all along.

"The astronauts were nothing but a coverup to the real threat. You still don't get it do you? Your Capital was successfully invaded by someone from Earth without you knowing." Tenryuu repeated itself to draw emphasis on the point and the dangerous implications that told of the Lunarians and their supposed perfect civilization.

Cutting off the time to recollect for themselves and what to make of it before they had any wild ideas and excuses, the androgynous being continued. "Allow me to demonstrate."

Tenryuu held an arm and motioned in a circle pattern. The reaction following its action became the scenery around them transforming.

They witnessed it, the destruction of the former Lunar Capital. They were submerged inside holographic water that depicted the battle between Tenryuu and Watatsumi.

The large-scale battle was too much for the rabbits to brace for. They all burst into tears bearing witness to the destruction, covered their mouths, and fell to their knees.

Yorihime and Toyohime had it worst. Still stuck inside their bubbles, the two clenched their teeth and fists. Blood spurted from their lips and hands. Their eyes quivered and were losing focus the more they watched their god being crushed.

Tsukuyomi and Sagume didn't have it as easy as the rest. But they noticed something when the waters filled the Capital. They squinted and saw many nanomachines like the one in Tenryuu's hand wading through the waters. They were initially attached to certain parts of the city or hidden in the air.

The scene ended at that point, and Tenryuu readdressed them to snap them out. "I didn't show you that to brag or gloat over my victory, but if you paid attention, there were other nanomachines spread through your city before my attack."

The dragon never stopped in consideration for the duress all of them were experiencing. Tsukuyomi couldn't help but slowly accept the words of the dragon as truth. He knew intuitively and because of the power wielded by the dragon it had no concrete reasons to lie or even communicate with them from the start. Slowly the rest followed suit and accepted their civilization they preserved for so long had flaws inside.

"These nanomachines were supposed to collect data on your city but that Silver Star decided your civilization was not cut out for his use. And I agree, it's unsuitable for the grand scheme of things. He left these here to influence you all stealthily in the end." Tenryuu fiddled with the nanomachines, having them roll around its finger like warts.

"Inadequate? How can our civilization be unsatisfactory for a human on Earth!?" Tsukuyomi prided himself for he and his family's creation. For it to be evaluated lass then a fart to a puny human insulted him gravely.

"That has to do with the format belonging to the Aeon of Isis. It's also outdated since nobody on the moon could match or surpass the inventions of the former Brain of the Moon, Omoikane [2]. I had my suspicions when that princess over there had an imitation of the astronaut's suits and was confirmed when I saw the Capital. You've all reached a deadlock, haven't you?"

None of them wished to admit that they couldn't make progress without Eirin. But they all swallowed their pride and nodded in defeat. For a long time, they've been taken inspiration of inventions from Earth and modified them to fit their image. Nothing original was being crafted on the Moon anymore.

"Strange isn't it? How could your civilization be ignorant of such a severe mistake? It's almost as if there was someone responsible who withheld the information from the start . Someone who influenced and changed you all to uphold your current worldview. He's the one who orchestrated the war between the Amatsukami and Kunitsukami in the shadows." [3]

Not only had the Lunar Capital has been manipulated by an outside force but before it was an internal force at the beginning.

"Where did you get all this knowledge about that war?" Sagume asked suddenly. Her curiosity got the better of her, and she wanted to know as much as she could about the one responsible for poisoning the Lunar Capital in living a fantasyland of self-pretense.

"I played a minor role in it. I was the support player for the one who ended the war."

"Takemizakuchi [4]? Does he know about you?" Sagume exclaimed but felt something wrong about her assumption.

"Pfft, not that blow-hard." Tenryuu was offended from being associated with the god Sagume mentioned. She shivered from displeasing the dragon.

Sagume did not lighten up one bit since the start or grown to be comfortable around the dragon. She imagined it would stay that way for a long time. But it's repulsion did mean something very important.

("What!? But that means the only one…so he did exist!)

Sagume thought quietly to herself when she learned another fact that could revise the history of the Lunarians. But she had to refocus on something more important.

"Who? Who's been keeping from us something this important and why?" Sagume asked desperately.

"Amatsu Mikaboshi." [5]

Thunder struck them all. This revelation had enough power to destroy the Lunar Capital from the inside if it were still standing today.

"Feel free to ask him using her as a medium." Tenryuu pointed at Yorihime. "But I suggest you don't. I doubt he'll respond to you again. He's always like this, running with his tail between his legs when the jig is up for him." Smirking as it pleased, Tenryuu advised them to hold up their interrogation for the Failed Magic God. "It's easy for someone in the shadows to manipulate an ignorant person with a conflated sense of superiority."

"What else don't we know about the world…?" Toyohime wanted the discussion to end already. All this information was too much even to her.

"The moment a space crew landed on the moon and planted their flag was the moment you never actually had control over the world. You never realized it because someone wanted you to keep up this pre-existing illusion. I'm sure your capital became very much aware once more a few months back. That day, when the alignment of stars was in disarray by something summoned by accident on earth. It appears that little bastard revised a lot of information and spread propaganda to avoid the public from panicking. Who knows how many other lies you've been fed."

The entire group's brains were in a ferocious runtime, cataloging every history they knew. Something was horribly wrong. The history they knew all along was filled with too many holes with the given information.

Tenryuu watched them all wearing blank expressions, the light having been extinguished from their eyes.

"Sigh…I talk too much. Should I be blaming Shizuri for this?" Tenryuu felt that things could have sailed a lot more smoothly if it chose its words more mindfully. The Lunarians were experiencing a mental breakdown of their worldview.

He had nothing against them, and this was going to happen someday with or without his interference.

Tenryuu let go of his hold on the Watatsukis. The bubbles burst open and the two fell to the ground on their knees.

(I wonder…what their paths will be after knowing the truth.)

"…end…" Yorihime muttered something incomplete.

"Hmm?" Wondering if it heard that right, the androgynous being whipped it's eyes at the sisters.

"End me…" Yorihime whispered to Tenryuu, begging him to kill her.

"Do the same for me…" Toyohime interjected, requesting of the same with her sister.

The two surprised everyone around them. It was heartbreaking for the two symbols of defense to be in such sorry states.

"And why would I do that? What reason should I hold to want such a sad execution?" Tenryuu answered coldly. The disappointment was audible from its voice.

"You have no use for us anymore, right? And we don't have anything important in the world to continue living for…" Yorihime answered. The hollowness of hers was depressing.

"There's no hope for us beyond the moon. We can't integrate ourselves on the Earth or fight for something…" Toyohime agreed with her sister's sentiment. The suggestion for their deaths sounded tempting to them as of this moment.

Tsukuyomi had a hard expression, Sagume found the ground to be appealing to stare at, and the rabbits grimaced. None of them were willing to give up on their captains.

"Snap out of it Yorihime-sama! You too Toyohime-sama! How are we going to walk forward without you leading us!?" Rei'sen exclaimed for them to stand up. She would rather die together with them then move on from here.

"You should listen to the rabbit. It would be a waste for you both to die here." Tenryuu voiced his thoughts and Rei'sen never felt more grateful to it than before.

"A waste? We no longer have any value without the Capital…we are of no use even to you." Yorihime looked at Tenryuu, having figured something about its reasons for keeping them alive.

"You possess extraordinary sharpness. I'm impressed. Yes, I kept you and your sister on the Moon separate from the rest because I needed something from both of you." Tenryuu looked upwards, waved an arm above, and the flash of an invisible barrier covering the moon surfaced briefly.

"Eventually I would have taken complete control over the moon. But I found a more efficient process by borrowing the parameters your sister possessed to shorten the time. I also needed the connection you established with the other gods as trails for me for another purpose." Tenryuu confessed attentively.

"You have everything you need from us. So, finish what you've started." The sisters have given up.

Tenryuu's eyes boiled with anger, and the atmosphere flared dangerously. Goosebumps crawled under their skins from the sudden shift. They all gulped with sweat forming on their brows.

"Just because someone has little value to another, that doesn't make it right for them to die!" Tenryuu berated them fiercely in an equally fierce expression.

Everything became quiet with the two sisters snapped out of their misery and stared with their mouths wide open. The rest were equally surprised from the outburst they least expected out of the monster.

"You've given up? What right do you have to act so selfish after failing your duties as defenders of the moon!? Shouldn't you be apologizing to those you're responsible for instead of dying a meaningless death!? There's a rule when you apologize. You promise that you'd do things differently next time!" Tenryuu criticized them, but also encouraged them to stand, take arm and fight again.

The group was gobsmacked. They thought they had a bit of an understanding with the dragon. But the recent outburst from it blew away any drop of understanding they had for it. They found it difficult to voice out any words with their constant gagging.

They composed themselves barely enough to utter one retort. "I-it's all your fault everything turned out this way! How dare you lecture us!"

"Yes, it is. There won't be a day without you hating me for it. And one day, you'll thank me for removing you off the moon. But are you going to sit around when you haven't taken the first step to reclaiming what's lost!?"

"I haven't even answered your question for what has become of your brethren, and you give in this early without knowing!? Pathetic! How long will you plan to keep your old views!? Your duties aren't finished! Don't you want to save them!?" It was the voice of salvation when they heard its words.

Their people can be saved!

To hear such a proposition, everybody widened their eyes with renewed life.

That was all the sisters needed to hear. The two found their spirits welling up. They took one step slowly, finding their footing and rose up. Gone were their sullen expressions and replaced with unstable determination, but determination nonetheless.

"Tell us how we can return them to this world." Both sisters asked readily. The knowledge that their people can be saved had everyone smiling in hope.

Even if they had to ally themselves with the enemy, they would do anything to bring back their loved ones.

"It's just as I've always thought. Those colorful expressions of conviction are more appealing than those of fear." Tenryuu crossed its arms and nodded contently.

"Forgive me for my rudeness earlier Tenryuu-sama. I beg of you; tell us what tasks we must carry for their salvation." Tsukuyomi cut in, surprising everyone again.

He walked down the railings in front of Tenryuu and kneeled. Everybody wanted to cry out for him to stand but knew how much resolve he needed to do what he's done. So, they held themselves back from interfering.

"Stop doing that. I've never found the appreciation for people kneeling before me." Tenryuu commanded him.

Tsukuyomi ceased his kneeling gratefully and stepped back. The group released a collective sigh of relief.

From that point forward, Tenryuu explained to them a solution to bring back the exiled.

They must find Ryūjin at his palace in the sea. He and Watatsumi are intricately connected and said to be the same dragons since the difference between the two is arbitrary. Because of this, they are bonded to one another, allowing for communication at any distance and travel to wherever the other is, crossing any boundaries. However, the two must have mutual acceptance for each other to link a tunnel. They'll have to convince Ryūjin to allow the tunnel to be reforged with Watatsumi carrying the other Lunarians to escape.

"Isn't it exciting? We get to go on a trip outside the moon everyone!" Toyohime had cheered up and regained her upbeat behavior.

"Simmer down all of you. Stand closely as a pack and don't break formation when we get to the Earth." Yorihime commanded the excited rabbits to resume their formation they've trained for. For the first time, the rabbits actually felt like complying obediently. Too them it was a blast to the past.

"Tenryuu-sama, I would like a word with you." Sagume jumped off the ramp and floated down softly in front of Tenryuu.

"Speak, er…what do you want me to call you? I assume you don't want me to call you by your original name."

"I appreciate your sentiment. Please, call me Sagume. Sagume Kishin." Tenryuu nodded for her to continue. "In advance, I'm not sure if what I will ask of you will be... undesirable." She knitted her eyebrows nervously for its permission to ask in her mind a dangerous question.

"Try me."

"…You are tainted by human morality, aren't you?" Sagume claimed, her nervousness didn't lighten up with his words. Everyone cringed from Sagume's words, hoping that it may not set off the dragon in a tangent.

However, it was clearly amused by her question from its huff. "Hmph. Yes, I value human rationale and morality. But what definition of tainted do you believe I am?"

The concepts of purity and impurity of the Lunarians don't apply to Tenryuu. So, what did Sagume mean by it being tainted?

After all, its rightful position in this world belonged inside the right hand of a certain boy.

"…I see...I won't say anything further." Sagume bowed lightly.

"I've got something to say too." Sagume raised her head and looked back to the eyes of Tenryuu. They frightened her even after how the dragon has been treating her courteously. "Sorry, for bringing up Amewakahiko. I won't do that again."

Sagume looked like a fish out of water, not expecting to be personally on the receiving end of an apology by Tenryuu of all people. She nodded dumbly and flew back near the ramp.

Tenryuu turned to Yorihime and Toyohime, finding them with similar shocked expressions as Sagume's. Yorihime shook her head and took a step forward to bring up a concern of theirs.

"Tenryuu-sama, though we know our tasks, we are not knowledgeable on how to find the Ryūgū-jō. There is also the concern for maintaining the Lunarians purities when they return to this world. We won't have any problems if we wear our suits, but there won't be enough on hand to accommodate the rest."

"Don't worry, Ryūjin owes me a lot, he won't ignore a favor of mine. Your brethren will take refuge in his palace since it's a true Pure Land. And he won't have any choice but to welcome you warmly. As for how you'll find it…" Tenryuu rummaged inside its hair for a bit and took out a charm-like ticket. The embroidery was red and white corals shaped in a dragon's scale motif. The dragon then licked the charm before presenting it to her. "You'll need this ticket."

Toyohime clasped her hands in wonder, approaching the two. "I get it! We present this ticket to a servant of Ryūjin and they will guide us down to the bottom of the sea where he resides!"

"Excellent deduction sister! We find ourselves a jellyfish and we'll be set!" Yorihime turned to her sister with high enthusiasm.

"Ehh? Why a jellyfish? We should present it to a sea turtle instead." Toyohime whined, feeling unenthusiastic about jellyfish in general.

"What's wrong with jellyfishes? They're so cool!" Yorihime was upset at her sister's attitude.

"But sea turtles are more trustworthy than jellyfishes! They're so useless compared to them!" Toyohime pouted at her little sister.

"Jellyfish are the ones we're going to look for!"

"No! It's sea turtles!"

"Jellyfish!"

"Sea turtles!"

"Actually," The two bickering sisters turned to Tenryuu and saw its astral body holding the ticket in one hand and the other holding a peace sign. "You show this ticket to an attendant who recognizes it at Katase-Enoshima Station in Fujisawa [6]. From there they will take you to a train straight to Ryūgū-jō."

(That's so mundane!)

(That's so mundane!)

The two sisters eyed the ticket with shocked disappointment. Then their train of thought trailed a little further to the first stop on their journey in panic.

"You mean we have to expose ourselves to the public eye!? That station is too conspicuous!"

"Yeah! It's too risky for the discovery of Lunarians will happen!"

The two sisters weren't prepared in the event they get exposed and the secrecy of Lunarians will be blown over.

"That's exactly where you need to go. Unless you have a method to disguise yourselves?"

The sisters tapped the bracelets on their wrist and astronaut suits inflated from them. They carried the suits over their arms and Tenryuu stared at them blankly.

Then a great idea surfaced to its mind. The astral body's lips smacked into a thousand-watt smile and shot them a thumbs up. "Those will totally do. No one's going to know you're Lunarians." The dragon snickered to itself where the two sighed in relief.

"I can't help but wonder if things will turn out alright…" Yorihime muttered to her sister. She was worrying over something else again.

"Why wouldn't things turn out alright? Once we leave the moon, I'm sure my luck will return. We even have Sagume-san and Tsukuyomi-sama tagging along with us." Toyohime assured Yorihime in an attempt to cheer her up.

"I mean…we know a lot less about the world than we initially thought…can we handle ourselves to the world we sheltered ourselves from?"

"Then why not discover the world for yourselves?" Tenryuu sneaked itself inside the conversion and grabbed their attention. "Use this chance to broaden your horizons. I'm sure your brethren are being educated in a very short amount of time with people who are very knowledgeable about the world. Expect them to come out as completely different people than before." The astral body smirked in knowing something they don't.

"There are others in the exiled world?" Yorihime gasped.

"That's right. Though the group of Magic Gods is full of troublemakers, there're a few good apples in a bunch who'll protect your brethren."

(Magic Gods?)

(Magic Gods?)

The sisters tilted their heads in response to the foreign term. They put it away for now and went into action. Commanding the rabbits to huddle in files, they marched inside the submarine until every single one left the ground on the moon.

"What are you planning to do with the moon?" Toyohime asked Tenryuu, feeling unsure whether or not they will ever get their home back.

"Hmm…the moon is sometimes considered a 'sea'. I need that symbolism to further something. I don't know when I'll hand it back to you, but I'll make sure to let you know."

That was another comfort to a burden on their shoulders. They bowed at Tenryuu and walked ahead to enter the submarine.

"One more thing you two." The Watatsukis turned to the astral body as it got up real close to Toyohime, making her feel uncomfortable.

"Y-yes Tenryuu-sama?" Toyohime sputtered out to meet with its gaze and assure it had her full attention.

The close proximity of the two was stifling and Toyohime held her breath. Yorihime to the side felt apprehensive to what the astral body was planning.

"I'm going to need some clothes."

"…?"

"…huh?"

Toyohime widened her eyes and Yorihime let out a dumb sound. Today had too many surprises for them and they wouldn't let up, not with this bombshell.

"I want to experience the entirety of the human form, and clothes are a essential. So, do you have any backup sets you don't need?"

"W-well…Tsukuyomi-sama, are there any in the submarine?" Yorihime implored him so they could get going and depart to the Earth.

"Unfortunately, there aren't any." He shook his head in shame for his lack of reliability.

"In that case, we can do with a compromise." The astral body's eyes glinted predatorily.

Having said these words, Tenryuu went on without lending an ear to their protest. Before they knew it, Toyohime's blouse was being stripped down, revealing her ample breasts and bra.

"KYAAAAAAAAAAAA!?" Toyohime's face heated up in crimson. Her eyes were in swirls as she exploded with emotion. Yorihime was flabbergasted in a blush, Tsukuyomi covered his eyes, turned around and went inside to avoid getting mixed in, and Sagume covered her eyes too with her fingers but left a gap to watch in fascination.

"You won't need these since you've got your suits." Tenryuu licked its lips and daringly honked one of her breasts. It was making quick work and almost pulled down her dress.

Almost.

Toyohime's reaction was an obvious one to such sexual harassment. She slapped Tenryuu away from her and hunched her blouse and breasts in embarrassment. Tenryuu's head swerved from the force of that slap clicking its cheek, and its line of sight landed on Yorihime.

"If she's not willing then you'll do."

"I'm not willing either! S-stay away!" She placed a hand to the handle of her sword in haste.

"Naïve. You're already naked." Yorihime heard the voice of Tenryuu behind her and broke in a cold sweat. She didn't even notice its movement at all. But that wasn't the important point.

"HYAAAAAAAAAAAH!? Yorihime covered herself in her underwear. She was burning up in shame.

"Yosh, time to get dressed." Tenryuu, in the middle of dressing up with Yorihime's clothes, did not finish. Yorihime held her sword still in its scabbard and brought it down behind Tenryuu's head.

* * *

"Be sure to say hello to the Baku I encountered on the way to the moon. You should've seen her face."

Tenryuu waved away to the Lunarians after it returned the clothes, turned away from them and walked to the distance. "Suckers didn't notice I had a camera in my hair." It smirked as it rummaged its hair and pulled out a mobile camera in its left hand. "I scored myself some new goods."

It stopped a fair distance from where the Lunarians can't hear it and viewed the Earth.

"The Holy Right got his arm back, good for him. The war goddess is on the move to getting back her eye and spear. And the remnant Magic Gods are traveling to China. Like I thought, something's fishy about it. I've lost track of Aleister too."

The dragon mused as it observed the world and its movement. A signal ringed to its ears and the amusement on its face died down. Holding the tips of its index and middle fingers to the side of its head, it received the telepathic transmission.

"Tanin'iver [7]?"

"DiD yOu diSpoSe oF tHe MooNbiTcheS [8]?" An unnatural voice of sinisterness and perversion filled Tenryuu's ear.

"I did. I've gained control of the moon and using some parameters I've avoided the Earth witnessing any future strange happenings up here. There's nothing I can do about those sensitive enough to know something is wrong like the upper echelon's in the magic society or magic gods. Also, quit your Saya No Uta impression, it'll never catch on."

"Let me rephrase that question. You didn't dispose of them, you deported them, correct? I can imagine some of them are still on the moon. And here I thought you were antagonistic towards Lunarians. You're way too nice." It was like venom dripping down the fork-tongue of a snake.

"What are you trying to imply?" Tenryuu's voice twisted warningly.

"Nothing of the sort. Everyone knows how you are and the history you share with him. That's why _re_**MASTER**_en_ appointed you to the moon. At least... I think so. That's not why I called though, why did you switch those two's positions?" Tenryuu felt the illusion of a fork-tongue slithering to its cheek.

"There's too much risk if Denwen [9] gets too close to the ground. Gensokyo would burn into ashes in an instant. If things change then I'll have them switch to their proper positions."

"Since when did you worry this much about Gensokyo?" The voice transmitted a question that left the receiver perplexed.

Tenryuu's reaction was to be taken aback by the sudden question. "Tanin'iver…you're not making any sense."

"You don't approve of Yukari's methods to preserve the peace by sacrificing outside humans and keeping everything in stagnation. You despise her and youkai, right? Because they are unnatural diseases to the human heart who should've naturally died off as Humanity matured in the early 20th century. With your position, you can drown Gensokyo in water."

The temptation had crossed its mind before.

Tenryuu closed its eyes and took a breath before replying. "It doesn't have anything to do with me. If _ka_**MASTER**_ig_ decided to give them a chance for survival, I will work towards that end."

"Then do you hate _er_**MASTER**_am_ and Kuzuryu? _b_**MASTER**_i_ for having to humor the pleas of Yukari and Kuzuryu delivering their words to him by the Lewd Pink [10]?"

"Of course not. I will never condemn him even if it was on a whim. And I would never look down on Kuzuryu for saving their lives in the hopes they turn over a new leaf. He is the kindest amongst us and I wouldn't have it any other way. I'm assuming by this Lewd Pink you mean Kasen. Please don't use such derogatory terms only you can know." Shaking its head, a smile returned to Tenryuu's face.

"… When was it that you accepted youkai? At best you would've ignored them to die off naturally, and at worst you'd take things to your own hands and exterminated them."

"… If I rejected the existence of youkai, it would be the same as rejecting Shizuri." Grinning with confidence, the answer it gave had caused Tanin'iver rolled its claws.

"Figures. Why does your voice sound distinctively female?"

"I thought it was an opportune time to finally move around using a human's anatomy. I haven't decided the gender but I'm finding a woman's to be more preferable."

"Or maybe it's because the author saw one of the reviewers talking about us having human forms and thought it would be cool to implement."

"Once again you're getting too meta for me. How the hell do you keep up with this foreign knowledge alone?"

"Practice. Since we're here, anyway, want to know what I've been up to?"

"There's barely anything to do on the moon anyways. I really regret having to be the one up here."

"From my position in the Youkai Forest and the adjacent location, there are all kinds of interesting people with so much potential."

"Do tell."

Tanin'iver went on to list off prospects he could find a use for. The distorted amusement in its voice was in near ecstasy.

"A youkai of the seasons. With my eyes, I saw another her who was human."

"A normal magician. This one wasn't too special, but she's associated with a vengeful spirit who once held a grudge with Humanity."

"A youkai of darkness. There is much potential to her when she isn't bound by boundaries. A fool who fell in love with humans. Had she not breached the roles of prey and predator; she wouldn't be in so much pain."

"A puppeteer magician who reminds me of the girl who chased the rabbit. Her association with demons of Makai can be useful."

"Ah, Alice in Wonderland you were referring too. I recall you were once called Jabberwock [11]." Tenryuu thought back to a story Tanin'iver once told him long ago.

"Don't interrupt. Lastly, though this one isn't native to the forest, she is a strange one who neglected her own heart. I see another her that's been searching a fishing rod for a long time [12]."

An image of a snake forking its tongue in sadism as it plays with its paralyzed victim surfaced to mind.

"I believe this is called a gut feeling I'm having right now. Whatever that last one is associated with, don't summon it. I can tell no one's going to be happy."

"Harrumph." It was creepy imagining this dragon pouting. "You're no fun. Everyone has to have a Heart-Throbbing adventure in their lifetime."

"Are there any more you want to tell me?"

"There's also your previous host. I can see fun times if I unleash his inner MANnosuke [13]."

The atmosphere spiked up with bloodlust at the one Tanin'iver shouldn't have mentioned. "Touch him, and you'll be the first to go. Only I get to tease him." Tenryuu threatened menacingly.

"Scary, scary. Is that alright? I imagine you're leaking a lot of bloodlust. Will the Lunarians be okay?" The grin on its face was made too apparent in Tenryuu's head.

"Ah." The dragon looked behind its shoulder and saw Sagume shivering on her ass to the ramp, clinging to the rails. It appears they are still locating the Baku to depart from the moon. "Was that on purpose?" Tenryuu asked accusingly.

"Of course not." Tanin'iver evaded the question casually. "But you're such a party pooper you didn't even let me finish. There was a lot more I could do with **THE RAPE™ **aphrodisiac [14]." The temptation in its bemusement was like honey. Sweet and horrific enough for a cause of heart attacks. And Tenryuu gave into it.

"I don't know what the hell he's been associated with, but I'm in." Tenryuu's mood shifted to the other extreme end, finding the potential hilarity to be enticing. "Forget all about that for now, I have to go back to the drawing board." The humor subsequently vanished from its voice.

"Oh? Did something happen?" Tanin'iver paid close attention to Tenryuu's next words.

"We no longer have a time limit for one day. It's going to happen tonight."

"…! Are you being serious!? We're going to have to rush our preparations!?" said Tanin'iver incredulously.

The sinister tongue of perversion had ended when Tanin'iver heard the one thing it really didn't need to.

"It can't be helped; our _joint operation_ goes off tonight from what's been told to me. His _mnagiei_**MAJESTY**_kbrraee_ can't hold it off anymore." Tenryuu continued with a smirk. "That Yukari is pretty coy. We've got ourselves a crowd to entertain it seems. But it works for us as well. Perhaps the real purpose for that assembly was to draw out Kamijou-kun. Clever." Tenryuu praised the mastermind and sage of Gensokyo.

"Sigh…I'll prepare my sinsack explosives." [15] Tanin'iver succumbed to the alterations being done, already offering itself to its fate.

"I want you to use your world-ending spell during the operation. This is not a request but an order." Tenryuu commanded with steel.

"I'm a pretty shy guy, but if you say so…so what do we do about Kamijou-kun?"

"With you the closest to him, you'll be directing him to the Hakurei Shrine."

"Uh, yeah, um…" Tanin'iver muttered in uncertainty for the news is too grave to him.

"…? What's the problem? Did he see you?" Tenryuu asked with confusion. What was he hiding?

"He's drunk."

It was at that moment Tenryuu stopped thinking.

"… … … … … … … … … … … … good luck."

"No wai-!"

Tenryuu immediately dropped the connection and went back to remodeling the moon. "With the moon at my disposal, I can be considered it's ruler. That means I have to name it." Tenryuu's lips curved into an all-knowing smile.

"Since the Americans did it first, the moon shall be known as the United States of Kamijou Touma!"

* * *

[1] The story of Amewakahiko and Amenosagume: Amenosagume is the kami Sagume is based off. She was a vassal kami to Amewakahiko. Because of Amewakahiko's delayed return to Heaven and stay in the Central Land of Reed Plains, Amaterasu sent the pheasant Nakime as an observer and messenger. Amenosagume saw the pheasant and assumed it to be an evil omen. With the suggestion from his vassal kami, Amewakahiko shot an arrow he received from Heaven and killed Nakime who flew all the way to Heaven. Amaterasu finding this insurrection returned the arrow and strike Amewakahiko mortally.

[2] Omoikane: The kami Eirin is based off. He was an offspring of Takamimusuhi, endowed with the ability to "think together" (omoi-kane). In the Sendai kuji hongi, the kami's name is also given as Yagokoro Omoikane no kami ("the kami that thinks together myriad thoughts"). He was also involved with the release of Amaterasu from the Rock Cave of Heaven.

[3] The Amatsukami (kami of heaven) refer to the kami living in the Plain of High Heaven (Takamanohara) with those born in that realm before they descended to Japan. In Touhou Project, these kami are referred to be the Lunarians like Eirin. Kunitsukami (kami of earth), on the other hand, refer to kami native to the lands of Japan or born under the ground prior to the myth of the "Descent of the Heavenly Grandchild" (tenson kōrin) where they were driven off for the Amatsukami to rule over the lands of Japan. Suwako belongs under this bestiary.

[4] Takemizakuchi: A kami born from the blood flowing on the sword Izanagi used to kill the fire kami Kagutsuchi. He descended from Takamanohara together with Amanotorifune to Izumo and entreated with Ookuninushi to give up his land for the tenson kōrin.

[5] Amatsu Mikaboshi: He was known and conflated with many names like Kakaseo, Amenominakanushi, and Myōken. He is the "Dread Star of Heaven," an evil god of stars, and the North Star (also called Pole Star or Polaris). He is also the god of rebellion against the gods of Takamanohara.

In one version of the Nihongi, Takemizakuchi was ordered by the Amatsukami to pacify the Central Land of Reed Plains together with two another kami, Futsunushi. They completed their goal when they subjugated the evil Kunitsukami Kakaseo. In an alternate writing of the Nihongi, Takemizakuchi and Futsunushi demanded the death of the "evil kami of heaven" Amatsu Mikaboshi to be put to death before they pacify the Central Land. This version depicts him as an Amatsukami instead of his previous iteration as a Kunitsukami.

Amenominakanushi ("Heavenly Ancestral God of the Originating Heart of the Universe") is the first kami and the first to ever be born in Takamanohara that came into being alone. He is the source of the universe, the kami of all stars, chief of the seven major stars of the constellation Ursa Major (Big Dipper).

Myōken is the Buddhist deification of the North Star. Myōken was also associated with Kichijōten, a replacement for one of the Seven Gods of Fortune, originally the Indian Goddess Lakshmi interpreted in Buddhism as a consort for Bishamonten.

[6] An actual railway station designed to evoke the feeling of being in Ryūgū-jō.

[7] Tanin'iver: In Hebrew, it literally means "blind dragon." An evil cosmic entity in Kabbalistic teachings. The steed of Lilith for which he is a mechanism by which evil is activated. This serpent slithers without eyes, so the supernal serpent has the image of a spiritual form without color – these are "the eyes." He is the bond, the accompaniment, the union between Samael and Lilith that brings pestilence to the world. If he is created a whole in the fullness of his emanation, he would destroy the world in an instant.

[8] A negative derogatory term the western fanbase of Touhou use to call Lunarians, specifically the Watatsukis.

[9] Denwen: An Egyptian serpent deity going as far as 2400 BC. He's described as an enormous serpent surrounded in fire. The Egyptians didn't really like to talk about him and shunned him because of his power. He was SO GODDAMN STRONG; he could wipe out a major pantheon like the Egyptians in one conflagration. But he was prevented so by the spirit of a deceased pharaoh. Considered to be the final evil.

[10] Kasen's infamous fan-name "淫乱ピンク, inran pinku", translates to Lewd Pink.

[11] Jabberwock: A fictional monster in the novel Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There written by Lewis Carroll. It lives within a dark forest until it was slain by an unnamed hero wielding the vorpal blade. Apparently, a maneater that is titled as "The jaws that bite," "The claws that catch," and "Eyes of flame."

[12] If you don't know what this is referencing, I envy you.

[13] Western fandom of Touhou's nickname for Morichika Rinnosuke.

[14] From Hiroyuki's (the author of Aho Girl) series of doujinshi – Acting On Instincts, it has Reimu tag-teaming with Rinnosuke to satiate their lust upon the residents of Gensokyo. One of Rinnosuke's infamous tools of the trade is an aphrodisiac spay copyrighted as **THE RAPE™**.

[15] Sinsack: A character (*throws up*) who is a satirical depiction of the Touhou Fandom in general. He is a naked being with a humanoid shape body, and the only thing covering him is a bag over his head monogrammed with the kanji 罪 (Tsumi, lit. "sin"). He is lecherous and a super fan of the girls in Touhou Project.

**A/N: Goddamn are there too many references. But now two dragon names have been revealed and an alternative for one of them. I wanted to write Tenryuu as someone who's "nice," but also a bit of a troll and pervert with their own belief. The brief appearance of Tanin'iver was meant to elicit a sense of danger where you don't ever want to be close to him but also has a goofy side. The not so subtle power of his is meant to convey this type of character.**

**The plot and worldbuilding are moving along smoothly I hope, and all the dragons will be taking action tonight.**

**Please review and point out any spelling and grammar mistakes; they are very much appreciated!**


	8. First Night IV

**A/N: Hello everyone, I've been having real-life problems lately. No nothing severe, just high school graduation coming really close. I went back to the previous chapters to fix things and change certain events for internal consistency and extended the length of the rain for events to line up. I've also changed Suika's speech pattern because in canon she talks properly and not casually. I've been doing research and have a clear outline for how the first night will proceed and end at morning together with who the big players are.**

**Review responses:**

**EternalPanties: ****I write it like that because the world still can't handle the real meaning behind Dragon God's name. But since you mentioned it, I changed things up and left a _really important hint _instead. I don't have an accurate idea of how strong grimoires could be in their full power since only Index can wield them without mentally breaking down. Othinus' Final Rune has grimoires compared to it, and it can carve itself to the core of the planet to create Gungnir. True Gremlin doesn't have the 50/50 limits like Othinus does. It's pretty explicit that Noukan can kill magic gods if the corpse of Zombie is any indication.**

**Mrcrazyman94: You haven't seen crazy just yet.**

**Kuma098: Just you wait, it will happen in due time.**

**M1nhTre37: Eirin is comparable to Heaven Chancellor.**

**WilliamZO: The Lunar Capital is more technologically advanced compared to Academy City. But because the format of LC is stuck in the realms of the Aeon of Isis, it has no use for Aleister. Tenryuu looks… the closest to how I imagine her to look would be Kiana Kaslana from the Honkai series. **

**I don't know if this is allowed, but I've got pictures and their sources using imgur with direct links below. ****Take the face, the hair, the body and apply the special descriptions for Tenryuu and there you have it.**

**Imgur dot com/SXOuyly**

**More dragons hmm... Rumia and Crino… (Looks away with tongue sticking out). Fiamma and the magic gods will play a part in like, really late in the story, namedropping them for hype. Oh man, Okina, Eternity, their lore is very interesting, and I want to use them, but I've got to be patient since there's not a lot to them in Touhou canon yet.**

**Shiroryuu012: You'll get your wish sooner than you think.**

**AznPuffyHair: Things are going to explode indeed. Please look forward to the insanity that's about to occur in the future.**

**Guest: Thanks for the input. Yeah, it really did feel exposition-esque for me and Tenryuu as well. The best I can manage is to inject some humor in the dialogue not to make it a big turn off.**

**williamsusanto: I agree, Kasen is damn sexy. I have an idea of what I can do when Hell turns up with new information from the Fairy manga, Kasen, and TH17. Yes, the Sephiroth and Qliphoth trees are concepts I want to implement later down the line. O****̶****r****̶** **̶****m****̶****a****̶****y****̶****b****̶****e****̶** **̶****I****̶** **̶****a****̶****l****̶****r****̶****e****̶****a****̶****d****̶****y****̶** **̶****d****̶****i****̶****d****̶****.****̶**

**H7712: Since when were you under the impression, I would abandon this story so early? Don't worry yourself, I've got a lot of ideas and future arcs outlined. I'm having way too much fun and put in so much research to quit.**

**Disclaimer: To Aru Majutsu No Index belongs to Kazuma Kamachi, and Touhou Project belongs to ZUN. I don't own either of these properties.**

**Chapter 4: First night in Gensokyo IV**

* * *

In hindsight, maybe this wasn't the brightest idea Suika thought.

"Oi, are you even listening to me properly?" Suika smirked with uncertainty and a sweat drop.

She had a good look at what was across from her, making a very amused expression to her fellow occupant.

"Bwahahahahaha! Watermelon-chan [1]… why are there multiple yas again? Did yer head get smashed 'n more plopped outta ya?"

There stood Touma in the center of the room. Or rather, there stood a calamity ready to burn Gensokyo to the ground faster than the dragons could. His body movement was tipsy, eager at any moment to tumble down and yet he somehow managed to find his center of gravity. He was smiling goofily with the gourd in his hand drifting in the most disoriented and unpredictable motions.

After drinking down the sake, Touma was initially quiet for a time until eventually, he gained a smashed look on him. He was flushed with a constant hue of pink on his cheeks.

Apparently, he can't hold his liquor too well.

"All right I'm going to need you to pay real close attention to me an-"

"Hwuwhathe whas thad? Aah furget dit, Ima drink this sake~" Touma ignored Suika and shifted his attention to the gourd in his hand and downed down with a gurgle. The excess sake flooded down his chin and washed the wooden floor with his sloppy mess.

It was no good. His words were getting more incomprehensible as time flies. It would appear to be he becomes a bit scatterbrained and his attention span dramatically deteriorated. If it were any other time, she would've joined in and wreaked havoc together, but this wasn't here or there. It was improper. The timing wasn't very prime.

And to make up for it-

"Alright you've had enough, throw me my gourd so I can join in too!" Suika ever so the _reasonable_ person demanded the boy to give the gourd back so she can make up the mood to have a _reasonable_ excuse to rain chaos together.

She wanted in on the fun.

"Aw yeah! Open wide! Here it comes!" Touma acquiesced to the oni. His mouth was slobbering with sake after his thoughtless decision to go for second helpings.

He raised the gourd in his left hand into a throwing gesture. Suika already matching him went to the counter and hopped in giddiness. The previous length between them would make the throw rather lackluster. It was important to make things as spectacular as they can be.

Touma seeing her getting in position drew back his hand gripping the gourd and made one step forward using his right foot.

And that was where everything took a turn for the worse.

In his intoxicated state of mind, he had forgotten an essential aspect of his life. And that it was ruled by misfortune.

The moment he put pressure on the floor with his foot, the sake left behind from his mouth had made him lose his balance. The floor centered around the area covered in sake broke apart. His heel curved counterclockwise from the loss in friction and his body was falling backward as he slipped. In amidst the confusion, Touma threw the gourd in haste. But because of how his body was curving, the aim was off, spiraling towards the gate leading to the halls.

The sound of impact came from behind the blue curtains leading to the halls. Many more came afterward. A result of the gourd ricocheting from the walls provided by the narrow space and into the storage room where loud crashes followed.

As that went off, Touma tried to regain his footing while he was falling. He flipped his arms wildly to straighten his back and stepped back several times. But the momentum couldn't be stopped, so he tumbled into the shelf containing tea sets, dinner plates, and silverware. He was met with the antiques smacking onto his body with his butt on the ground and him leaning against the shelf.

A wave of excellent tools and antique breaking sounded out in the room and the rain drowning it from escaping the room.

Suika collapsed into a fit of loud laughter watching him in the process of his graceful fall.

There lay Touma with swirls in place of his eyes and his head lightly wobbling to the sides.

Suika had witnessed countless times before the tales of drunkards wreaking unprecedented havoc. Hell, she was one of them. She was right to look for Touma as soon as she could. The unexpected accidents he could get involved with was too spicy to miss out. She gained a deeper understanding of why the boy mentioned about misfortune periodically.

"That was amazing Touma!" Suika exclaimed out during her fit of laughter. She wiped away the strands of tears at the edges of her eyes. Picking herself up as she continued to laugh, she readdressed him. "Alright, you stay there. I'll be back with my gourd. He...hehe!"

"Uhm... if it's the gourd you're looking for, I got it right here." A soft, nervous voice leaked out from the direction of the curtained door.

(-! Who!?)

Suika turned her head slowly to view an unknown stranger hovering out of the curtains with her gourd in hand.

It was a girl that seemed to permeate a dreadful miasma from her body always. Her lips quivered in a nervous smile as Suika took in the sight of this unknown individual who preoccupied the store before they arrived.

The most remarkable thing about her was that long dark blue hair flowing like fire along with the dark blue ribbon above her head. Her face seemed to have lost its vigor with the pale skin and fatigued blue eyes. Not to mention the state of her dress code. A gray short-sleeved hoodie was looking ready to tear into pieces with a blue mini skirt full of loose fabric. The aura around her seemed warded off slightly by the many charms slapped all over her ribbon and clothes. Add on to her choice of footwear making up of nothing and alternating to being barefoot, and there was no denying that she was poor.

"The poverty goddess? What are you doing here?" Suika enquired the goddess before her and the reason for being in this store.

Last she checked, Yorigami Shion was seen hanging on to Tenshi since the end of the Perfect Possession Incident, and the two were inseparable.

Come to think of it, when she asked the celestial earlier in Heaven on the goddess's whereabouts, she kept quiet about it.

Did they had a fallout and decided to split up? There weren't a lot of things that could make the obnoxious celestial fed up with something and outright abandon nilly-willy. She was too proud for submission.

"Ahahaha... oni-san, it's a long story you see..." Shion chuckled sheepishly having earned the attention of Suika, rubbing the back of her head with the single free arm.

Shion continued to lay out for why she was occupying Kourindou and how certain events led up to this.

* * *

"Yo, Shion, get up." Tenshi shook the dozing goddess on a makeshift bed consisting of nothing but cloths knitted together.

"Mrrgh...? Tenshi-sama?" Groggily waking up with bleary eyes, Shion addressed her current friend.

Or would it be more accurate to be called partners in crime? They never did confirm the relationship they shared.

"I've got something to do today you need to hear."

Before morning earlier this day, Tenshi told her she was going to have an appointment with a messenger from the Dragon God, Ryūjin. Because of the topic for their appointment required absolute secrecy, Tenshi had to leave her behind, or else the messenger will refuse to attend to her since she came not from the words of her family, but by the Dragon God's, so she had precedence between them this time.

"Hmph, impudent Iku. Just because her boss granted her the upper hand, this time won't mean me acting obediently." Tenshi declared haughtily.

"But where would there be a place suitable for me?" Shion questioned worriedly. Thinking them separating will cause her to revert back to her former, miserable self.

"Hmph, leave it to the great me for I already have a place in mind. You best make sure you stay there until I come back to pick you up." With a haughty attitude, Tenshi commanded Shion.

There was only one place where Tenshi could leave the goddess behind. And that was the Hakurei Shrine. After dropping off Shion at the shrine, Tenshi made bid her farewell and flew back to heaven while disregarding her banishment quota like the delinquent she was.

From there Shion went up the stairs to pay respects to the shrine maiden for temporary lodging but was refused. If she were allowed on the grounds of the shrine, misfortune would accumulate the land. Feeling troubled by this, Shion suggested herself going to the Human Village. This was actually a lie since the villagers would obviously avoid her at every turn, so the village wasn't an option. Her real intentions were to hide behind the torii gates leading to the shrine.

She had no intentions of going anywhere by herself.

(What now? Is there a place for me in Gensokyo where I won't be rejected?)

Loitering around with the shrine maiden's eyes off her, Shion stayed put and watched the clouds in the sky drifting into the distance. She doubted there would be anywhere in Gensokyo that would accept her, and she was starving. Laying idly under the basket of the sun rising from the east, she contemplated the treatment life was giving to her.

Alone she was clueless. She could not provide for her own well-being. No matter how many successes she piled up, all of it will only be accumulated to the next disastrous end. Every action she would take will always be for naught. Without her sister or Tenshi, happiness became a transient concept much like the air.

It was only expected, for she was a goddess of poverty.

Shion made up her mind that Tenshi must've lost all interest in her, so there was no reason to sit still in one place.

Yup, she was hopeless alright.

During her hour of self-deprecating thoughts, she caught a glimpse of an opportunity. It was the Moriya shrine maiden, Sanae.

Landing and skidding on the grounds of the Hakurei Shrine, the green and white had her back against the torii gates. She was a perfect fit for the goddess to reside in. Carefully approaching from her position, she closed the distance and possessed the unlucky shrine maiden without alerting her. From there she was free to roam undetected alongside the green-white.

Obviously, from that day forward it would be a harrowing experience. The effects of the goddess' blessings were in effect immediately. First was the backfiring of the green-white's power over wind knocking her down the stairs, resulting in her gohei breaking. If that wasn't bad, then the loss of her spellcards by the underhanded pranks of three fairies were.

But it wasn't her fault when the green-white was still stupidly-confident enough to try and win against THE Hakurei shrine maiden in danmaku with so many disadvantages. Naturally, the result was for her to be blown away into a nearby mud pile.

Finally realizing she bit off more than she could chew, the Moriya shrine maiden and goddess duo (the former still unaware of the latter possessing her.) went off to visit a rumored youkai who had excellent blacksmith skills to fix her gohei.

Once they landed somewhere in the village, the youkai the maiden was looking for came right to them. And in a frenzied dash too. Promptly after the impact, the maiden soared in the air and got buried inside a cart full of tomatoes with a perfect ten.

Unfortunate for Sanae, but a score for Shion in an unexpected profit for breakfast.

In a quiet fury, Sanae got up and straightened her back, slowly lumbering forward to net out some punishment for the umbrella youkai, proclaiming her duty as a youkai exterminator.

And the most horrific abnormality approached both of them, hearing her words by ear-shot. Never before did Shion felt her heart ceased in an instant faster than hearing the soft whispers of that sadistic abomination.

They didn't notice it coming, and when the idiot Sanae tried to turn around and launch a preemptive strike without the spellcard rules, she was sent flying by parasol airlines.

Even Shion felt the impact to her stomach causing her to barf out the tomatoes she just ate.

As the two sailed across the air in painful nausea, Shion split off and veered away to another direction. She crash-landed HARD and skidded across the dirt somewhere nearby Kourindou. It was this progression of events that led up to her trespassing the shop using the backdoor without the notice of Rinnosuke.

While she took the chance to sleep off the fatigue given her hectic day, it wasn't over simply because she reached a resting point.

During the nighttime, she woke up sweating bullets over her body from the rumble of a transcendent decree resounding all over Gensokyo. She clutched the sheets and blanket provided by one of the beds in a vacant room. A moment of silence drawled until the whole store shook by some force.

Shion felt that there was no hiding behind this unknown force. Sounds of antiques breaking and crumbling reverberated the entire store. Eventually, she'll be found sooner or later. Deciding in a hurry, she got up to check whatever it was at the front of the store.

For some reason, something seemed to beckon her over, like a natural alignment resonating to her.

Once she got near the curtain entrance, she leaned against the wall and heard the shopkeeper leaving the store. Thinking that things would turn alright given there was no immediate threat, she inched closer and closer and lifted the curtains.

If she were a mortal, death from a heart attack would be obvious.

The shock coming forth drowned out any voice coming out of her throat. Instead, she frothed into unconsciousness and fell backward in the hall.

When she woke up, it was back on the bed with the sheets neatly covering her. Jumping in a rush, she inspected herself and was surprised to find her hoodie and skirt cleaned and knitted back to top-notch condition never seen before with the colors full of vibrancy. Her hair along with the ribbon tied above it was washed and conditioned to unveil her inherent beauty.

It wasn't just her. The room had a complete makeover with the floor and walls missing the cracks and holes amassed over countless seasons. No dirt and dust created a brilliant shine from the brightness. Recoated with appropriate paint adding to a proper image for an antique store.

From the center of the room were her charms neatly piled on top of a wooden table. It didn't stop there. Trays of exquisite food were steaming with warmth, welcoming her to dine in.

The fresh feeling consumed her entirely. It was the most heavenly she had ever felt in her entire existence. She couldn't help bursting into tears. It was impossible not to in her shoes.

Approaching the table, Shion embedded the charms back onto her clothes and picked up the chopsticks to begin the hearty feast prepared for her.

"Itadakimasu!"

Shion wolfed down her meal ravenously and swiped rice and meat barbarously with the chopsticks to her mouth. Vulgar slurping noises echoed in the room as the meal was done in five minutes flat.

Once she was done with everything in the room, she planned to leave the Kourindou and stridingly stepped to the door. Only to trip at the entrance and rolled along the floor of the clean, smooth halls and dived into the storage room where she knocked off everything out of position. The suffering continued in the form of her body being buried amongst the assortment of foreign items of the Outside World. Among them was a refrigerator.

Easy to say, her brief spruced up look went back to normal after the accident.

* * *

"Then I heard the shopkeeper and a stranger returning from there. So, I sit still and eavesdropped on them. In fact, I heard about the baby carriage being sold to the maid." Shion described in full detail to the oni, biting her lips to hold back a giggle at the end.

"So _that's_ why you weren't hanging around with the kid anymore. That's certainly one way to spend your day." Suika too had trouble holding her giggling as she grins widely.

"Eh? You've seen Tenshi-sama today?" Shion expressed visible shock on her face, handing back the gourd to the oni's outstretched hand.

"Yeah, she was at Heaven with me waiting for her best friend, Iku." Suika divulged the whereabouts of the celestial, cradling the gourd in her hand and making a joke.

"Her best friend…" Shion muttered absently.

(Tenshi-sama left me to meet with her friend. And not just a friend, but her best friend. … Of course, she would spend more time with the person she valued more in comparison to a miserable goddess like me. We haven't even addressed the type of relationship we shared…)

"I was kidding, Iku's not her best friend. Moreover, they're not even friends, to begin with." After noticing the air seemed to rot around Shion, Suika tried to comfort the goddess to avoid the haze of misfortune spreading.

But it was too late. There was no getting Shion out of her thoughts after falling into depression or convincing her otherwise.

Nothing can be done about the goddess in her part at this point.

With beads of sweat formed around her forehead and digging into one ear, Suika landed off the counter clumsily and moved over to Touma and tapped his shoulder.

"Psh, wake up Touma." Suika clapped her hand to his shoulder and rattled him.

"Mmh…?" Touma blinked his two eyes uncoordinatedly and groggily tried to focus them at Suika's. "You've got pwetty eyes 'n a pwetty face… yer hair smells soo good 'n sweet… 'n yer hands are so soft 'n warm too…"

"Hehe, thank you." Chuckling from his compliment, Suika took a swing of her sake, feeling a bit of happiness. The blush on her face coming from either the compliment or sake was difficult to discern.

+1 point for Touma.

"Who is this person?" Shion asked behind Suika's back, feeling an inviting feeling coming from the boy on the floor.

Touma's response was to raise his left arm absently. "Muh name is Kamijou TouMAN!" He shouted something profound in his drunk awakening.

"He's real interesting right?" Suika turned her head over her shoulder and gestured for her to see him with a smile.

"Yeah, I feel something similar between him and me," Shion said with clear interest in her voice. "The smell from him reminds me of myself, the unsteady way his body moves are sort of like me when I'm lacking sleep, but he's smiling despite all of this. That's different."

"I think that has to do with the sake." Suika suggested before she gets any weird ideas.

"Let's find out. Hey you." Shion addressed the sitting boy, and he raised his head sporting an inquisitive look with his eyes intoxicated.

She planned to ask a series of questions to satisfy her interest in this boy.

"Who's that hobo [2]?" Slurring his speech, Touma asked Suika beside him. Apparently, he failed to catch her name earlier.

"Yorigami Shion, a poverty goddess who's relatively new in Gensokyo." Suika provided him her name and identification.

"Izzat scho?"

"Where did you get that dirty hoodie?" She liked that hoodie very much in her opinion. It was just like the one she's wearing.

"From a normal dumpster you can find anywhere!" Touma answered with a light chuckle. He had his eyes closed during the lighthearted mood.

*Gasp!*

Shion put a hand to her mouth with an audible gasp.

"What are your regular meals like? Do you eat the three main courses of the day?" Something was welling in her chest.

"I eat two light meals of veggies and meat on _normal_ days and never have the time or lose the opportunity to eat bargain day eggs!" His chuckle turned into full-blown laughter.

Shion's heart was thumping erratically in her chest for some reason when listening to his answers.

"What are your sleeping schedules?" The further she asked, the more her expectations gained in intensity.

"Zon't look dwown on a man thad only needs won hour oh sleep for two straight weeks!" His laughter was steadily rising as he answered her series of questions.

Her smoldering interest in him was rising together with his laughter. The boy was full of mystery and his life greatly resonated with hers.

"You live a life of poverty, right?" She was basically panting heavily with a blush at this point, shaking her arms in anticipation with bated breath.

Touma did not answer immediately and dropped his boisterous laughter, adopting for the silent treatment. He picked himself using a vacant shelf behind him to anchor a hand above. Standing up with wobbly feet and staggered to the center of the room. He took a sharp inhale of air before he proceeded.

"Like ya never buhlieve! Getting' ya head bitten by your roommate, losin' all ya money every day, havin' ya family reunion ruined, gettin' lunatics after ya ass, bein' forced by ya friend to go on death missions, missin' out on dinner, gettin' electrocuted periodically, bein' chased by perverts, bein' chased by violent women, gettin' thrown into foreign countries against ya will, gettin' ridiculed for ya idiocy, gettin' ya clothes stolen by nuns, gettin' tortured by ya roommate's ex-roommate, gettin' abandoned by ya allies, 'n gettin' burned into a mosaic! All in less than half a year!" Touma yelled out in a single breath with tears in his hollow laughter.

"*Whistle* That's a pretty hardcore lifestyle of yours, Touma." Suika commented behind him with pity. She was shaking her head from listening to his track record.

Something told her that the sake made him more honest than during his regular hours. She didn't have proof, but her intuition was very damn sure of it.

Also, what was a mosaic?

Meanwhile, Shion's body quivered in excitement with glossy eyes.

There it was she thought. Someone that was just like her. Maybe if she wasn't the only one who experienced a misfortunate lifestyle, she could feel better about herself thinking that she wasn't alone in her suffering. To know someone shared this pain and walked down similar paths in life.

She separated with her younger sister, Joon Yorigami, to find meaning within themselves as individuals. News of her sister did not come frequently enough for her to find and there were times she worried for her. Shion lacked the means to find out whether her sister found any success since they split off.

Tenshi was blessed with endless good luck and negated the innate misfortune she carried. The celestial did not mind hanging out with her and easily forgave the disastrous accidents in her wake. But they could not be together constantly. Shion feared that one day she would grow bored of her and walk away to search for new entertaining prospects. Or maybe it already did happen.

It had to be him. Someone who lived life to the very best in spite of his misfortune.

A man that wouldn't be bothered by the misfortune she unwillingly spreads and walks the same steep path given to them. If it was him, she might be able to find happiness amongst the dirt pile that was their future.

And yet there was one thing that separated them both which stopped her from completely accepting him.

"You stated all that you've experienced given by misfortune with lamentations, and yet you don't curse it. While I don't mind you accepting the fate given to you nonchalantly, you found happiness between all of that on your own! That's the strangest thing I can't figure out! How can you possibly have outdone a goddess that couldn't manage that for centuries!?" Shion pleaded desperately, feeling a dagger to her pride as a goddess of misfortune.

Even as something pitiful like a goddess of misfortune, she was still a goddess, nonetheless. She could not accept being defeated by a human. For a transient life such as a human to reach the goal before a goddess who worked for centuries was unacceptable.

"Look Yorigami-chan. I think you're misunderstanding him. It's just the sake making him act this way." Suika interjected neutrally with a sweat drop.

"Be quiet oni-san! I can tell he's expressing his true thoughts and feelings because he's drunk! This is between us. Let him do the talking!" Shion snapped at Suika hotly to quiet down in the corner. She pointed at Touma to reveal his method of finding the one silver lining within the gaps of his life.

The boy in question had his eyes hidden from the shadows of his bangs. His once wobbly body stopped all motion and was standing perfectly still.

Within the intoxicated mind of Touma, he heard the question of Shion loud and clear.

But how could that be? Was he not drunk?

It was easy to answer. Someone was crying out in anguish for help because they were missing their smile.

He did not fully understand why it is and how they came to be lacking the happiness they longed for.

What he only needed to know was that someone was missing an offering hand. That hand meant to pick them up from their times of trouble and guide them to wherever they needed to go so that smile can grow on their faces naturally.

Just one simple smile.

And something so simple was being denied.

That was the one trigger needed for his dazed head to clear away back into a normal state temporarily and his determination to heat up his body.

Suika raised an eyebrow, noticing his change in demeanor. She observed the radical switch she had witnessed earlier during her alone time with Touma.

She arrived at a conclusion that made up one of the boy's many traits. It was that determination of his was still present, lying in wait for any opportunity to burst forth. It didn't matter if his head was intoxicated or something were to cloud it, that determination which defined Kamijou Touma will always remain under any circumstances.

His body will respond to his will and resolve himself of any distractions to meet his goal. The state of his mind will not prevent this no matter what.

This time around there was no cheek for him to punch. Instead, he will resort to giving his honest opinion.

"I'm happy because I'm misfortunate." Touma proclaimed in his smooth voice devoid of any hints of him being drunk. He raised his head to look into Shion's eyes with his own steady and firm.

Shion's mouth grew agape in surprise and confusion. Her face flushed from the new person peering into her eyes.

A question of how one can be happy with misfortune crossed her mind from his words.

Touma merely outstretched his arms to the side and continued with a savage smile gracing his lips. "The reason I've come this far is that my misfortune has guided me to where I needed to intervene and save others."

Touma declared it with the best, strongest smile on his face. It was a rough smile, a barbaric smile, a savage smile, without a shred of panache.

"Every time my misfortune drags me to the place I need to be, it results in me getting hurt, injured, hell even suffering lethal wounds. But it's always allowed me to bring a smile to those whose wishes were unanswered where they couldn't even beg for a simple 'help me!'"

Touma traced his memories of all the times he would stumble in the wrong time at the wrong time to be dragged into a brawl or life-threatening battle to his own well-being.

"I would never be able to reach that conclusion if I lived a normal life governed by good fortune! That will never bring me true happiness not noticing the suffering to the people right next to me!"

He shuddered from the thought of missing out on those situations where the tears that could not escape from their eyes were not answered.

"Don't force your pathetic good fortune upon me! Don't look down on this misfortune that defines me! I don't need some pathetic salvation which knows nothing of what fills me with real happiness! I am happy! Those nasty gashes, that horrible tear to my flesh, and those bloodied lips I received after the one person who stayed silent in misery finally smiling are the moments where I can express joy!"

Kamijou Touma's life is governed by the concept of misfortune.

"And I will forever live my life and walk my path embracing this misfortune! What determines my happiness is not measured by some arbitrary ranking of fortune; it is something for me to decide!"

He will carry on his life never wishing for this constant to cease. He may complain at times, but he will never curse it. Gazing over to the horizon with it by his side forevermore.

Why was it that he quit uttering his trademark catchphrase 'such misfortune?'

Suika looked at him, taken by surprise and grinned. She did not expect such a person was okay with living in misery. All the more interesting in her opinion.

Or maybe he was a masochist. That was still an option readily available.

But for Shion he was radiant. He was not a person that allowed misfortune drag him down to the depths of despair. It was his own volition to climb back up from the grime and face tomorrow steadfast.

For there to exist a human that can proudly live with misfortune was a rarity not met in a millennium.

There was a saying that to be met with misfortune meant fortune awaited you after though such a saying will never apply to Touma.

Her hands grasped her chest from the erratic beating being audible enough to be heard. Unaware of her own emotion, she grew a bright smile and walked up to Touma, closing the distance until she was near his chest. "Kamijou-san! No, wait, would TouMAN-sama be more appropriate!? I'll just call you Aniki from now on!"

Touma laughed off her clumsy decisioning on how she'll address him moving forward.

"T-then would you come running to me and help me find happiness!? D-do you think a poverty goddess such as I am able to!?" She asked almost screech-like.

She was looking up from her 162cm height considering she was shorter than him.

Touma dropped his arm to the side, looked back at her, gave a slight smile and said, "Don't you think that's been done already?"

If Touma had not tripped earlier, Shion might not have been given a reason to walk out those curtains and approached them.

Taken aback by that comment, Shion gripped her chest tighter and flushed in crimson with steam releasing from her ears.

Cupid's arrow has stricken its target.

The power of drunk Touma knows no boundaries.

Shion grabbed his left hand from the side and held it between them.

Excitingly, she began to propose to him the goddess equivalent of a confession. "T-then do you mind if I join you on your journey!? I can make you even happier together! We could become the new disastrous duo! I would even become your p-p-p-patron goddess!"

It took a monumental amount of courage. Add on to the good feeling in her chest providing support in the spur of the moment.

She was not going to let this chance run off. Who knows how long it'll be for her to find another vessel suitable for her divinity.

Somewhere far away, a 15cm fairy was strangling the hawk she was riding.

Touma after listening to her request looked away and answered calmly, "No."

The luster in her eyes died together with the colors of her face. A cold feeling consumed Shion's body and frozen her smile.

"Oof…!" Even Suika cringed in surprise, narrowing her eyes in sympathy for the goddess.

"W-why!?' Shion demanded after getting her bearings back.

Touma did not understand the full implications behind a goddess wishing to become his patron goddess. Usually, it was the other way around since they were too prideful to look for a vessel actively.

But that wasn't the only factor behind his decision — the sounds of hiccups parted from his lips.

"Hic, I only need _my misfortune_ to be happy." Touma woozily said his intentions. His drunk state had returned after making his speech, so his conscious thoughts were not aligning. His eyes too droop with his vision getting blurry.

He was okay with the poverty goddess personally and being comprised of misfortune.

He was okay with his own misfortune aiding him.

What he did not need was more piled on top of it.

Touma pried his left hand out of Shion's gently and spun around, so his back was facing her. For Shion who received the rejection fell to her knees and then went on all fours dejectedly.

Suika wordlessly approached Shion and rubbed her back in consolation.

"Saaay, did we hath something important ta do?" Touma directed the question Suika behind his back. He was wobbling once more from his removal from soberness.

"I haven't forgotten. We gotta get you to Hakurei." Suika turned her head over her shoulder to remind Touma while she soothed the heartbroken goddess.

"Oh. OH. That was a thing." Touma said with his tone raised a little in drunk realization.

"Still is Touma; it still is." Suika responded absentmindedly. A drunk Touma's speech was inconsistent as hell.

"Mm-kay, I'ma grab muh rain cloak~"

Subsequently, from his words, he walked uncoordinatedly a bit lopsided with his right foot to grab the same rain cloak he wore from the racket hanging from the door. He was making a racket as he struggled to dig his arms in the sleeves.

"While it was fun hanging with you Yorigami-chan, we've got places to be in a hurry." Suika stated to Shion so she could understand. "Better luck next time?"

"Next time…?" Shion muttered incoherently on all fours.

A spurt of danger washed over them suddenly. It was coming right outside the door.

Touma and Suika's snapped their heads to the door from where the aura saturated.

"Oh hey, it's startin'," Touma commented knowingly. "Hic, whas his name again? Bah, I'll call him Accswullelarutor since he almost looks like him. By the way, did ya know Accswullelarutor is a really handsome guy?"

"Who…?" Suika was drawn into that aura far more than the rest. Her eyes dilated in shock from the familiarity coming to her senses.

(It feels almost exactly like father's! [3])

In just that brief moment where Suika's full attention was ripped away, Shion pounced behind her and put all her bodyweight to prevent the oni from escaping.

"Gah! What are you doing!?" Suika exclaimed from the sudden pressure on her back.

"Is something wrong back there?" Touma still attempting to push his hand into the other sleeve called out behind him.

"Nothing's wrong Aniki! You can go ahead of Suika! We've got something to discuss together!" Shion reassured him that there was nothing wrong, muffling Suika's mouth, so her protests did not leak out.

"'Kay." Accepting that response, Touma did not bother to turn his head around which dumbfounded Suika on the ground.

His attention span was really screwed up when he's drunk.

If there was someone to blame then everything was escalating thanks to the hands of an oni uncontrollably.

"Mmmt mms mmmr mmmmmmm!?" (What is your problem!?)

Shion positioned her head next to Suika's ear, avoiding her horns and whispered, "Touma doesn't need a companion. They'll only get in the way of his happiness."

"Mme mmu mmmb!?" (Are you dumb!?)

Teary-eyed, Shion gripped harder in anguish and whispered back, "I know I'm being selfish. I wanted to go with him too. But we'll only prevent him from reaching the happiness bestowed upon him by his misfortune! He needs to get there relying on his own power!"

(Even though I wanted him to share that happiness with me!)

"Mmmt ms mme mmmmmmmt mmmmmmmmg mme mmmmd mmmmy!" (That is the dumbest reasoning I've heard today!)

There was something very wrong about this situation, and not because of how things escalated to this point, but the fact that Suika was _struggling_ to lift Shion off her.

(When did she get this strong!?)

The miasma of misfortune permeating from her seemed excessive. The rotten smell was threatening to knock out Suika at this rate.

Something was empowering her.

Something in this room, or the entire store, was giving her an ample power-up to overpower an oni.

"I have to thank you oni-san. I shouldn't give up yet. There's still a chance for me to persuade Touma into accepting me next time!" Shion expressed heartfelt words of gratitude to the oni she was choking beneath her. "Aniki!" She called for his attention.

"Bwuh?" Touma nonsensically responded without turning back, having lifted the hood over his head to complete the task of putting on the rain cloak.

The mysterious aura outside subsided just now.

With a very heated blush, Shion requested," It doesn't have to be now, but do you think we can hang out and rifle food in some garbage bags together the next time we meet!?"

Touma did not need words to express his thoughts this time. He waved his left hand over his right side and shot her a thumbs up to indicate his approval.

So romantic.

Shion smiled brightly with joy at his silent answer as he placed his right hand on the doorknob but felt the position to be awkward and exchanged it with his left.

During that moment of ecstatic bliss, Shion's grip loosened up for Suika to lift her head and bash Shion's chin with the back portion and pry the hands on her mouth off.

After some difficulty, Touma swung the door open and felt like he just hit something solid. "Hic! Accswullelarutor! Did ya know you're a hand-hic-some guy!? I repeat! You're really handsome!"

"Get off me you shitty goddess!"

"Run away Aniki!"

Shion watched his retreating form as the door closed behind him. Now the two of them got some alone time for some heart to heart.

* * *

"Ah dammit, the Mini-Hakkero's busted. Gotta reach Kourin soon to get this patched-up."

A girlish but somewhat boyish voice sounded out above the Forest of Magic in the rain. The figure was quite strange and out of the norm. In Gensokyo however, everybody can recognize who this was.

"Damn, what's up with this rain all o'v'sudden?"

Sitting on a broom in the air with her hands clutched to it is the Ordinary Magician Marisa Kirisame wearing a black witch's hat having white frills underneath and a white ribbon adorned on top. She was a blond with yellow eyes that carried her brazen nature. She wore a white long-sleeved shirt under her black shirt. Below her was a black skirt with white frills along the hems combined with a white and snow-blue apron having snowflake imprints around the edges and more white frills along the hem. Her dangling feet in the air are covered with white socks and black shoes.

She was on her way to Kourindou after meeting some unexpected encounters during the day where she overheated her Mini-Hakkero.

Earlier she was enjoying a danmaku match in the rain with the ghost Minaamitsu Murasa who strangely was together with Unzan instead of the latter being with its partner nun.

The fight was evenly split between the two until her Mini-Hakkero short-circuited and was in a harrowing situation of losing against the ghost duo.

She was saved when the sky erupted with the roar of Dragon King. The trio called off the match to return to where they need to be in frightfulness from the roar washing over them.

Something big was happening, and they needed to be prepared with their best conditions — that and because both sides received shikigami out of thin air.

Flying in the air peacefully, Marisa quietly contemplated to herself for what was to come. The fate of Gensokyo seemed very much dire.

(It doesn't matter who's comin' over. Anybody's goin' to answer to me be it Dragon God or anyone else, ze!)

High in confidence, Marisa sped up her journey to reach Rinnosuke. When the forestry lost some trees in the edges from a distance, she saw the clearing where Kourindou should be.

What she saw below her vantage point was outrageous, to say the least.

There was a giant man (Kourin she assumed) wearing a rain cloak (The same one Kourin owned) laying on the ground out cold in muddy waters. Koishi Komeiji too was met face flat on the soggy ground next to the door leading to Kourindou. And then there was THAT. Some stranger wearing the second set of rain cloaks Kourin owns, head hidden by the hood.

Being mildly confused was putting it lightly.

The haggard stranger in black walked towards the big man lying on the ground with odd steps. He came out of the Kourindou just now and was beside the big man the next. He bent his knees and lifted off the hood from the big man to reveal silver hair.

Something snapped inside Marisa.

She assessed the situation down there with her bird's eye view.

One, a stranger broke into Kourindou, knocking Kourin in the process outside. Koishi, who she didn't expect to be there, the stranger did not spare any effort in his wrath and knocked her out as well. Next thing he did was coming out of the store to mock Kourin.

"That bastard…!"

The misunderstanding has settled in.

(No one's goin' to barge in Kourindou 'n attempt to make a burglary on my watch!)

If there was any irony, it was lost on Marisa.

While she was angry about someone harming Kourin, she was mostly pissed about her career as a 'borrower' getting outclassed by an unknown thief. She's going to pillage everything off that man who dared to impede on her field of expertise.

She wasn't stupid enough to rush in to deal with the perpetrator considering the state of the quiet clearing. That stranger knocked out Kourin, which isn't saying anything substantial. But he _defeated_ Koishi. He _somehow _was able to defeat her meaning his battle prowess must be incredible.

But there was still a chance for Marisa. She noticed his legs wobbling and determined him to be tired from his fight with Koishi.

It was only one shot given to her. The stranger who stood upright left himself wide-open for a surprise attack.

This attack will determine everything. For this to succeed, she'll need unprecedented speed so the stranger in black will not have a window of reacting before it becomes too late. Not to mention the unknown power he wields.

There was no other choice but to go all out.

"Sayonara bastard! **Comet [Blazing Star], ze!**"

Marisa shouted out one her spell cards, **Comet [Blazing Star]**. Blue aura washed all over her body and broom as a prerequisite for this magic. She positioned the direction of her broom aiming at the stranger in black, and with a spurt, broke the sound barrier.

Clutching on her broom, Marisa dashed with all her might and spirit to collide against the man with the speed she prided herself over.

The dash was just like its name. She became a comet that left a streak of blue stars in her path, sizzling the air with heat and intensity.

The distance was being closed in a fairly short time. The moment of impact imminent.

As for Touma, the stranger in black, his body was no longer tipsy with his right side parallel to the front of the comet. Before it reached him, he spun his body counterclockwise in unimaginable reaction timing.

"Funyari…"

"What!?"

Spinning with abnormal movements, Touma evaded the upcoming comet by stepping forward after the turn and redirecting his whole body 7 o'clock of his front.

It wasn't only his body that moved unnaturally.

When Marisa bypassed his side, a clenched right fist entered her vision and was dangerously closing in on her face.

There was no time to react or a gap to change direction from this distance of five centimeters.

Her **Comet [Blazing Star]** had a fatal flaw. There was a complication in changing direction after moving in sonic speeds in a straight line.

A mysterious sound of breaking glass resounded when the clenched fist contacted the edges of the blue bubble comprising her spell. The moment it touched, Touma twisted his fist and redirected the direction of the comet away from him. Because of the speed carrying Marisa's body, her face was closing in on the fist after it pierced through the shield.

"Bliigh!?"

The centrifugal force the fist was lugging had surprising and unnatural weight behind it. Almost as if this fist and her cheek made a natural coupling.

She was sent flying from her broom, bouncing a few times before skidding to a halt flat-faced on the ground. Her broom curved direction and planted the tip into the ground, skidding before it stood erect, leaving a trench of mud.

As a normal human girl, being punched by that force left her at the edges of blacking out. She was not blessed with innate abilities, she was not a youkai, and she most definitely was not a god. Her body without magic protecting her was fragile. And a clean hit to the head would knock out any normal person too if it came from Touma.

Especially a drunk Touma no less.

"W-who...?" She croaked out.

With the last of her energy and resolve, she raised her head strenuously. She saw his spiky hair and face covered by the shadow of his bangs. The hoodie of the rain cloak was pushed off from the wind pressure of her spell earlier.

She thought to herself to stay awake. To warn someone the identity of this man.

This man was out for blood.

With that last thought, Marisa embraced the cold darkness and retired for tonight.

* * *

"That was so cool Onii-chan!"

Koishi who was awake the whole time yelled out in a high fever of excitement.

She witnessed the unconscious mind she imprinted knocking out Marisa in one hit.

ONE HIT.

"Onii-chan, Onii-chan!" Koishi ran up behind him and hugged his waist.

Touma shifted his body around and looked at the small girl right in front of him who was smiling.

"Ehhh? What are you talking about?"

Do not be fooled by his proper speech. He was still drunk.

"You defeated Marisa in a single blow! No one's been able to do that before! You must be really strong!" Koishi praised his actions elatedly. She dug her face to his stomach, rubbing it cheerfully while hugging him at the same time.

"Ehehehe, you really think so?" The goofy boy with an equally goofy smile was enjoying the praise he received by rubbing his head in embarrassment using his right hand. And from a cute girl was always a plus.

He could feel her budding chest rubbing on his leg which caused him to blush faintly.

"Hey hey, what's your name Onii-chan?" Koishi ever so enchanted by the human full of mystery, she unconsciously wished to close the distance between them.

"Kamijou Touma." Touma threw out his name without a shred of suspicion for the new girl.

"Touma Onii-chan! I'm Koishi Komeiji! Can we be friends?" Koishi asked reluctantly, a locked feeling of potential disappointment prevented her from being fully committed to her request.

"More friends are always welcoming!" Touma with a smile agreed, lifted his right arm in the air in agreement.

"Yay!" All the wariness in her voice disappeared. Koishi let go of him and repeatedly jumped from the ground to express her joy and delight. "Let's go spend time together as friends Touma Onii-chan!"

"Nah." Came a casually flat refusal from Touma.

"Eh? Why?" Koishi's smile vanished, and her face adopted a curious look.

"Gotta move to Hakurei Shrine." He simply answered.

Koishi momentarily pouted but smiled afterword again with wicked thoughts unbeknownst to herself.

"Follow me Touma Onii-chan! I'll take you there!" Koishi pulled his left hand to beckon him to follow her words.

There was no way she was going to let him leave after the hard work she's done to reach him.

Wordlessly, Touma complied and moved his legs with the unnatural characteristics of a drunkard to where she was pulling him towards.

What could go wrong from trusting a helping hand from a cute girl?

They moved towards the Forest of Magic, the direction _opposite_ of the Hakurei Shrine.

Koishi wanted to spend some time with Touma before he had to leave. And with an open clearing, someone finding them would eventually happen.

As they neared the edge of the forest and stepped foot inside, one question was left for them.

What lurks beneath the darkness awaiting them?

* * *

[1]: Suika's name has the same pronunciation as watermelon. Her first name Suika can also be literally translated as "gathering fragrance." In canon, she's sometimes known to have a good smell.

[2]: I don't know if this is accurate, but during my research of Japanese sound effects, ボ is pronounced like ho or bo, and in romaji, it's to indicate the sound of fire. It fit so well with Shion that I couldn't pass up.

[3]: In one tale, Shuten-dōji (The oni who Suika is based off) is the son of Yamato no Orochi who survived his battle against Susanoo instead of dying. It fled from Izumo to Omi where it had a child with a wealthy person's daughter and out came the birth of Shuten-dōji.

**A/N: **

**The speech Touma gave to Shion is a rehash from the one in OT4 which I found appropriate for this instance.**

**Let's talk a little about Kuzuryu and the religion called Kuzuryu Taisha. This Shinto-derived new religion was founded by Ōnishi Masajirō. Ōnishi began his religious activities after receiving an oracle from the deity Benzaiten during a dream in 1954. His teachings encapsulated in the words "let us give thanks, reflect on ourselves, and return to nature," Ōnishi he gradually began to attract gather followers and in 1956 established the Kuzuryūkyō Hon'in as a legally independent religious organization.**

**In the group's early stages, the founder gave teachings individually to followers in one- to- one meeting known in the movement as "_otsunagi_" (lit., "connections"). As the numbers of followers increased, this practice changed to one in which the founder gave presentations known as "_Go shinwakai_" ("friendly talks") to groups of followers.**

**In 1969, the movement changed its name to Kuzuryū Taisha. After the founder died in 1988 his eldest son, ŌOonishi Masami succeeded him as the movement's second leader in 1989.**

**The group states its teachings are "based on the foundations in the cosmos-ordering divine principles the of Kuzuryū Benzaiten [lit., "Nine-headed dragon Benzaiten"], and the nine articles of teaching set out by the founder Ōnishi Masajirō; by putting his merit into practice, followers issue the great vow that all beings might pursue the heartfelt desire to achieve good fortune and eradicate all misfortunes."**

**It further explains the truth of these nine articles, which link humans and the universe (consisting of the heavens, including the sun, moon and stars, and the earth, composed of the five phases of matter represented by wood, fire, earth, metal, and water). The unifying principle of the nine articles is that of returning to nature, states that by so doing, the individual will be freed of misfortunes and achieve happiness. In order to become one with nature, followers perform practices of an austerity and ritual practice known as _"kokoro no kitsukuri_" (lLit., "making oneself a container for the spirit").**

**Let's break this down by focusing on Benzaiten. Benzaiten is a Japanese Buddhist goddess who was originally the Hindu goddess Sarasvati. She is sometimes credited as one of the Seven Gods of Fortune and sometimes a dragon. In this specific religion, Benzaiten is interpreted as a nine-headed dragon. So Kuzuryu is attributed to being a deity of fortune as a result.**

**I also like to talk about the number 9 in Chinese numerology which is a lucky number. Nine which is the highest single-digit number stands for completeness and eternity. Chinese emperors of ancient times loved this number. 'Nine Continents' is used to describe the large territory of an empire. The emperors wore Nine-dragon Imperial Robes, ordered to construct Nine-dragon Walls and other buildings with a relationship with number 9 in the imperial palaces.**

**Here is where things differ. The dragon from Touma's hand is not the Kuzuryu of legend nor is it Benzaiten herself.**

**The dragon in Touma's hand has only one distinguishing feature. It's four eyes.**

**The number 4 in both Chinese and Japanese numerology is an unlucky number that's sometimes pronounced as _shi_, which is the word for death. That's why sometimes in hospitals or hotels there doesn't exit a level or rooms with 4.**

**Number 9 in Japanese numerology is different from China's as it's an unlucky number instead too. It's sometimes pronounced as _ku_, which means agony or torture.**

**If you combine 4 and 9 together, you get the sound of _shiku _which means "run over."**

**Fascinating isn't it? Plus, the dragon Kuzuryu's former nature in legend was a ravenous, evil monster that demanded the sacrifice of maidens using a lottery.**

**So in summation, Kuzuryu has deep ties to fortune and misfortune where its nature from a misfortune dragon is pacified to become one of good fortune.**

**The reason why Shion has a huge power-up to overpower Suika is that she and Touma broke some shit in Kourindou that reversed the good fortune in the store to empower her unknowingly.**

**Such misfortune.**

**I also want to take this opportunity to talk about Touma's misfortune. From how I see it, his misfortune is a product of his own faults. They mostly happen because of his own clumsiness, thoughtless words, carelessness, procrastination, or heading straight into situations without any forethought. This can be seen from how he broke into the changing rooms of Index and Kazakiri and that time he forgets to knock the door when Orsola was showering. That's why when he gets into fights nothing like the prior events happen because he's more focused and clearer minded with more awareness of his environment at the heat of battle being an expert fighter and acrobatic barring sustaining damage, but that's to be expected. It's why Komoe beats into him to work harder with his studies and because back then he was a delinquent that looked for fights. That and because you know, he doesn't have time too. His misfortune will not get in his way during the crucial moments like how he fought St. Germain together with Hamazura and Etsu without sustaining damage.**

**I won't deny the supernatural element to his misfortune since I said 'mostly.' From Imagine breaker negating his luck, people ruining his day, to the implications of sparks. And my opinion can change with more confirmation to how sparks play a role in his misfortune.**

**Please review and point out any spelling and grammar mistakes. They are very much appreciated!**


	9. First Night V

**A/N: Hoo-boy! It's been almost a month, and I've finally had the time to stretch my fingers. Now, this one is not yet finished and I've only written it under the span of a single day to give you guys peace of mind. I'm here to reassure you guys that if this fic was dead, I would put a notice for it to be dead. I know you guys wouldn't want to hear what my personal life is like and I'll just leave it as me being busy.**

**BUT DAMN KAMACHI WHAT DRUGS ARE YOU ON AND CAN I GET SOME? NT22R!? What is this madness!?**

**Also because you guys have been trying to figure out the major hint I've left in First Night III, focus on the letters used in conjunction when the dragons mentioned MASTER. take those letters and rearrange them to two familiar words. Ignore MAJESTY for now.**

**Review Responses:**

**M1nhTre37: I'm very appreciative that you found it heartwarming. It won't be the last time you'll see Shion.**

**RgpO: Why thanks for the chart considering I probably won't be able to keep track of future relationships myself.**

**AznPuffyHair: Yeaaah...whew, what are we suppose to think of Kamijou Touma now that he's earned the respect of a poverty goddess. But yeah, Touma isn't going to overpower any oni while being drunk. And his meeting with Yuuka...I'll hold that one off for now.**

**shiroryuu012 : Oh please, I'm going to spoiler here that drunk Touma isn't his final form.**

**WiliamZ0: If there's one thing that Index 3 did right, it was making sure Touma looked damn handsome. I'm grateful for your helpful criticisms, that's why you guys are here, to make sure I'm aware of mistakes and improve them. Flandre is going to have an unexpected helper in her escape. I haven't even gone over what would happen if Touma decided to touch a youkai with IB. That's going to be a major plot point down the line. When is the Railgun manga ever going to go over the damn Angel dragon!? But yeah, the family tree of Suika, Rinnosuke and the implications of Suika being a half-youkai in the past will be interesting to go over with the two of them. The sword Rinnosuke owns came from the corpse of Orochi so its not a weapon of man or god.**

**Guest: I'm glad you're having a blast with my story.**

**Guest: Suika will learn of her ancestry with Tenryuu. But Touma hasn't defeated any dragons yet, not even his own.**

**Dark Tyrant-Fool: Again, not his final form yet.**

**Guest: Thank you for the compliment!**

**wiliamsusanto: Feel free to PM of your ideas, in fact, all of you absolutely have the permission to PM me and I look forward to them! Ah yes, the deal between fairies, IB, and the giant shadow causing nature to go haywire, I will go over it soon. You'll never expect what's going to happen with Cirno and the fairies.**

**IllusionBreaker: YES IT WILL!**

**KRKing: The better question is what won't she do to him?**

**SAD: It's dead when I say it's dead!**

**Disclaimer: To Aru Majutsu No Index belongs to Kazuma Kamachi, and Touhou Project belongs to ZUN. I don't own either of these properties.**

**Chapter 5: First night in Gensokyo V**

* * *

"Hey, hey, Onii-chan." Koishi grabbed his attention by pulling his sleeve.

"Mhn?" Touma remaining ever so graceful in his sloppy footsteps on the mud turned his head over to give his undivided attention.

The duo had stepped over the boundary between Kourindou and the Forest of Magic earlier. They wondered, guided by Koishi's words in the impenetrable darkness.

The rain continued beyond its expiration line, though the weight of the shower lightened behind the coverage of the trees.

"Where do you live?" Koishi started with an innocent question as she clung on his waist. She and her clothes were wholly drenched the entire night and looked to find warmth from the nearest person.

"Uh… I have my own apartment room in the city." He answered with his best to not mess up his tone from his drunken stupor. Clearly, he wasn't doing his best.

"Oh. What are those?" Asked innocently from Koishi. She hopped behind him to find a grip on his back.

Before she led (kidnapped) Touma into the woods, she was disabled from using her flight magic, forcing her to walk along the ground. But it wasn't all bad being barred from the most efficient method of transportation. It just meant for them to take things slowly and personal.

Their interactions continued along in this string of questions by Koishi and Touma's earnest answers contributed to his intoxication resulting in honesty without a shred of deceit.

"Oh wow, you have electricity. I never knew what you could use it for." During their conversation, Koishi figured out how to climb on his back and gripped his chest from behind with her head digging into his back.

"Electricity has plee~nty o' uses. You've got lights, the AC, television, refrigerators to store food in case your roommates need food ASAP, you'd be hard pressed to find something electricity isn't involved with." Listing off the top of his head, Touma felt the weight of her body and coldness seeping into him from behind.

"Hmm? Onii-chan." Koishi's voice took a more intrigued turn from the last mention he brought up. "Are you living together with someone under the same roof? That's so daring!" Koishi exclaimed with mild shock. She had progressed her crawling onto the next stage and dropped her head over his shoulder. She also hugged his collarbone with her arms stretched beneath his armpits.

"Hehehe, yeah, I live with a close friend of mine," Touma answered enthusiastically by standing upright, causing her to latch on him tighter with her legs.

"Who? What kind of person are they like?" Koishi moved her head closer to Touma's where their cheeks touch.

The daringness of hers to invade his personal space made her scent waft over him, causing him to inhale a wet but sweet aroma.

"Index's a headcrab who lives off my living expenses. I took her in because we were friends, and because the higherups of her group wanted me to." Divulging private information, Touma continued to tell of his experiences with his roommate. "When breakfast arrives, I feed her _three_ times the amount a normal person eats. When it's lunch, I make her _four_ times. And if my bank account survived enough spending, I make _five_ times for dinner. I can still hear her teeth making grating noises!" Suddenly exclaiming with horror behind his voice, Touma bent down by habit for which Koishi took this opportunity to climb up and sit on his shoulders.

"Ooh, she's a pet. That must mean you're a good caretaker. And? What's it like living with her?" Kicking her legs in the air from her position, Koishi claimed her rightful spot on top of Touma. She looked straight ahead of them and tilted her body side to side.

Somewhere far away, the same 15cm fairy was kicking the sprawled hawk on the ground.

"For one, she takes up my bed, so I took it upon myself to sleep in the bathtub." He casually said his sleeping arrangements to her. While she sat on his shoulders, he tried to fix his body gesture, so she didn't accidentally fall over.

"EHHH!? Onii-chan, you sleep in a bathtub!? That's amazing. You're incredible!" Koishi excitedly complimented him, hugging his head which covered his eyesight and squeezed his neck with her thighs.

"C-can't breathe…" He breathed out quietly from his throat, being blockaded by her thighs. He would've made a comment on how soft it was, but because of the lack of air reaching his brain, his mind pushed those thoughts to the side.

His body swerved around with his head tilting off balance. The unexpected motions gave Koishi some entertainment as she kicked the air and applied her body weight so he wouldn't fall to the side. She guided his steps, similar to taking the wheels of a jet ski.

"This is so much fun, Onii-chan!" She exclaimed as she pulled his head to the right when his body was tilting to the left.

"K-Koishi….! Y-your legs…!" Touma, having been denied air for too long, could only manage a few words after finding his balance again to stand still. Tapping his left hand on her leg to bring back her awareness.

"Oops! Sorry, Onii-chan…" Apologizing to Touma for her rough and irresponsible treatment, she loosened up her hold on him on cue and hung her head down.

"It's fine… I just wasn't expecting something like that. You should warn me next time before you do so." Scolding her carelessness for not having enough awareness of the person below her, he went back to walking and continued off from where he left.

"So yeah, Index also has a habit of biting my head whenever I mess up something important like failing to deliver food on time…" As quickly as she felt guilty (not really) earlier, Koishi resumed her cheerful demeanor with a lift of her head and outstretched her arms to the side in an airplane motion.

"Wow… so she keeps reminding you not to slack off from housework. That's an amazing pet you've found." Kicking back on her rightful seat, Koishi gestured for him to walk on aimlessly without any proper direction.

"A pet? No, no, no. One time, Index brought home a stray cat. I didn't want to accept it with our barren budget, but she forced me to." The conversation proceeded as the two weaved through the trees with a clear destination in mind and an unreliable navigator.

"Do you take care of your cat very seriously?" Curiously asking with some small weight behind it suddenly, she lifted his head with her hands to make eye contact with hers peered down.

"As serious as I am with Index. His name's Sphynx by the way."

Pacing forward without any forethought considering his head is staring into Koishi's, he smacked into a tree and almost fell over before Koishi exerted her body weight forward. He got hit against the tree a second time and leaned on it.

"Uuugh…" He groaned from his cheek, smooshed against the tree.

"Onii-chan is a very capable caretaker… maybe I should introduce you to Onee-chan." A compliment and a pull of her hands meant to rip him off the tree and a way to walking deeper into the woods.

"Your Onee-chan? Hey, since I already introduced someone I know, you do next. What's she like?" He asked with a good measure of eagerness.

"Hmm… she's everything not like me!" Koishi responded in kinda not so helpful description.

"C'mon, that's too vague for me to figure out…"

"Mou! Onii-chan is an idiot! Maybe I shouldn't tell you…" Koishi pouted cutely with her hands on his head.

"C'mon~, tell this idiot Onii-chan who your sister is." He asked again in a vain attempt, only this time with a more pleading tone.

"Okay… but only one time, so you better listen!" She demanded his full attention.

"What? I'm always listening!" Answering in an unconvincing tone belonging to a drunkard, Touma had half his focus fixed to something.

They traveled along, sometimes having to duck under a few branches, so Koishi didn't get hit, sometimes for Touma needing to watch his step of tree roots and the mud.

Lost in thought, there was a weird graveness in the air. As if an essential element was unavailable. It was eerie of the forest to be lacking something.

No wind carrying hollow sounds, no crickets or cicadas buzzing, no small mammals crawling on the mud, not even the chirping and flapping of wings belonging to birds.

Nothing audible was happening in the forest, not even the sound of rain registered to the ear.

Koishi may not have noticed, but Touma did.

There was no presence around them. Devoid of predatory eyes gazing upon them from a distance. It was strange to think of a forest being a ghost town, but it was fairly accurate.

The only sound was his own breathing and the steps he took. The wind did not pick up in the background. The more he surveyed his surroundings, the more he tried to rack his brain into a state other than distress.

"Me and Onee-chan live underground in a palace where the sun can't reach us. We live all alone with our pets. Her name is Komeiji Satori. She works all the time and doesn't have any for outside the palace or the surface."

"That doesn't sound good for her complexion." As Touma listened to his companion on his shoulders, he kept a vigilant eye, however useful that was in the dark and him being drunk.

"Onee-chan never comes out so now she's always tired with these heavy eyebags like this." Illustrating the condition of her sister, Koishi pulled the skin below her eye dramatically. But Touma wasn't watching so she slapped him behind the head.

"Ow! Clearly, she needs some sun. Like what you're doing. We gotta rescue your sister from the palace and bring her to the surface." Giving her some wild ideas in jest, Touma smiled unknowingly of what might the future hold.

"I know, right? But if it's the sun she needs, then Okuu's all she needs."

"Okuu?"

"One of my Onee-chan's pet! She has the power of the sun and maintains the Nuclear Furnace!"

"That's nice. Maybe I can meet her someday." He jokingly went along with her delusions in his mind. Unaware of the actual truth in her words.

"Yeah! If we can get you to Onee-chan, she might even give you a job and be our pet's caretaker. She's done enough on her own, so a helping hand is always welcome." She suggested with excitement at the bright prospects in the future.

In due response, Koishi reacted by kicking around on her seat and fidgeted wildly with exaggerated body motions. "Hey, hey! I can't walk properly if you move around so much!" He grasped his left hand on one of her ankles and was about to do so with his right before she cried out.

"No! Don't touch me with that hand!" Instinctively out of fear, she evaded the right hand from touching her leg. From hearing the distressed voice above, Touma dropped his right arm, hanging it loosely.

"Sorry."

"Mn, just don't put that near me."

The long trek continued onward in silence.

He didn't expect a reaction like that from her. But he got careless in his mind and almost rashly brought harm to his helper. There was no telling what would happen if he touched her with his right hand, and he wasn't planning on doing experiments.

To Koishi, that right hand was fire from a stove. Humans wouldn't find danger in it since they needed it for cooking and because they knew instinctively to avoid touching it. So, from a close distance, it was okay to watch, but making contact would be foolish.

It wasn't a strong reaction of rejection per se, but it was danger all the same.

The journey went on with no interruptions.

_Before a creaking sound came from his right shoulder._

"…!"

"Hmm? Onii-chan, are you okay?" The concerned question coming from Koishi went unanswered as the boy stared at his shoulder trembling shoulder wide-eyed in terror.

The ominous sound from his shoulder had happened earlier today. Its return filled him with unprecedented dread. He didn't understand why this was happening. However, his concern was not limited to the area around his shoulder.

_Someone else was right on top of him, and they were in far greater danger than he was._

"Koishi get off me!" The sudden outburst surprised her as he grasped her left leg and wrestled her off him. "Run! It's not safe being near me!"

The satori hanging from his left hand, however, wasn't paying attention. She steadied her eyes and locked them onto his right arm. Otherwise, she felt no embarrassment from being hanged upside down and letting her skirt flow down, revealing her green panties.

"Your right arm is acting weird again." The helpful comment of Koishi did nothing to ease him. "Let me see!"

This was what Koishi had wanted. The mystery of that right hand might come out again. She felt fear of it before and hid from it naturally, but the curiosity drove her mad. She wasn't thinking or acting rationally, she never could.

"You listen to me well and stay away from me, you understand!? Something's going to kill you!" Touma promptly let go of her leg and made a start to bail out from the immediate area.

_He was denied as his body was seized._

* * *

A little before Touma's unique circumstance occurred, there was much joy happening in the Scarlet Mansion.

After Sakuya returned to the mansion with the _grandiose_ vehicle in hand, she presented it to her big sister. When she rested her eyes on that _magnificent_ conveyance, she fell in love.

"Sakuya, explain to me this _glorious_ contraption you found yourself," Remilia commanded to the maid in a hustle as she pried it from her hands.

"Yes. Supposedly it's designed for sovereigns chosen to lead the _new generation_. The shopkeeper was very thorough in his description from its production to its purpose. It has no meaning until a _buoyant_ passenger lays themselves to the seat." Attentively summarizing the vehicle, Sakuya was pleased to find her purchase very much fit her mistress' taste.

Plucking herself off the throne, she ran towards it gleefully. After carefully appraising its _illustrious_ design and briefing from Sakuya, Remilia decided to sit upon it immediately.

The convertible car seat that came with it fitted her _perfectly_. It provided the utmost comfortability to _her_ body size.

"Mistress might I add one more thing. There is a set of belts to fasten and provide protection from unexpected road bumps. If you don't mind, can I show you?" Sakuya requested in her desire to impress the mistress even more.

"Do so with haste. Show me everything this vehicle fit for a ruler can offer." Remilia accepted gracefully, crossing her arms and leg.

"With due pleasure." Bowing gratefully, she went to work immediately. Sakuya pulled the belts and fastened them to cover the mistress in a cross formation.

On display, _the_ _child-safety seat belts_ _appropriately_ _holding Remilia emitted the spitting image of charisma._

"Everyone at the party will love this new look on you, mistress," Sakuya commented on the side, inflating Remilia's already massive ego.

Oh yes, everybody at the party will definitely love her new look.

"Hmph, Onee-chan always get what she wants." Flandre off to side grumbled in jealousy over her sister.

She always had her way as she did as she pleased and demanded everything to her whim while the servants carried out her words with complete infidelity. Ok maybe not the fairies at least, they're mostly useless.

"Stupid Onee-chan not letting me come to the party like always…" Flandre spun around and walked away from the two being delighted over Sakuya's successful mission in providing a _befitting vehicle radiating charisma equal to Remilia's._

Flandre walked below the stairs leading to her room and pulled out an 'eye' hidden in her skirt. Her previous grouchy mood uplifted from the sight of the one thing she can really look forward to as of now.

"Hah… it's just you and me now Touma." Flandre quietly addressed to the 'eye' in her hand. She was sitting on her bed, staying inside her room in the basement.

Flandre played with it, rolling it along with her hands and fingers without fluctuations skillfully without making it fall from her hands.

"Alright Touma, don't disappoint me now!" Said Flandre with undiluted glee. She held herself back and now all restraints came off.

It was playtime.

Flandre gripped the 'eye' _hard_ to test its elasticity. After determining its quality on how it refused to break down under her hand using her vampire strength, she wore a beaming smile.

"You're the best Touma!" Flandre praised and threw it against the walls of her room. The 'eye' ricocheted across the four walls, floor, and ceiling in blinding speeds bringing a cacophony of cracking noises.

* * *

"Oh no… Koishi you alright? Urgh…" Touma voiced out to the girl below him.

"This doesn't feel bad Onii-chan! I love it!" Koishi called out from below his body as she squirmed, exploring his body.

"You're not embarrassed? Nothing uncomfortable happening for you?" Touma sputtered out from his gritted teeth.

"No, in fact, let's stay like this!" She reassured him on the contrary, she very much found this entertaining.

After losing feeling all over his body, he fell over on top of Koishi, pressing down on her. They were both in very compromising positions with pink dusting on the boy's cheeks. Koishi didn't seem to mind as much as he did.

"Urgh… I can't move at all… the only feeling in me is my right arm feeling like its being torn apart!" Touma grunted in pain from the tremors occurring on his right shoulder. It felt like something lodged itself into it and broke every molecule inside, separating the cells.

But at the same speeds the cells were being crushed and torn apart, they were rejoining together, fixing the damage so nothing was out of place on the surface.

Something was up with his arm. _It has changed since he arrived in Gensokyo._

Touma was reminded of times where his arm regenerated or grew back in natural form from the shoulder after it was cut off numerous times.

It was almost like a rough, hasty patchwork being done to accommodate for immediate fastenings for future events before similar accidents could happen to the arm.

"Ok, I think I'm regaining control over my lower body." Touma tested out his lower limbs to see slow movement following his command. "Koishi, push me off to the side, please!"

"Buuuh, fine." Koishi pouted as she applied pressure to her arms below his chest, trying to lift him off.

* * *

"Not yet! I'm not satisfied yet, Touma! More, more, more!" Flandre screamed out to the 'eye' in jubilation. She caught it and promptly threw it above to serve it.

"**Taboo [Lävatein]!"** Flandre summoned to her hand a flaming sword and batted away the 'eye' to the wall, bouncing off it and leaving behind a web of cracks.

The 'eye' flying back to her was swatted again with a swing of her sword. This process repeated itself ad infinitum as the tempo of her swings and the speed of the 'eye' rapidly raised.

Ripple effects spread from the pounding to the 'eye', spreading into tremors across the entire mansion.

* * *

"Gah!" Touma cried as his body without his input pressed down on Koishi even further. Touma balled his right hand into a fist and slammed it down above and away from Koishi's head to prevent any unwarranted effects.

"Mmmmph… Onii-chan, I can't push you off if you don't want me to." Koishi complained under her breath where her cheeks were being crushed by Touma's bodyweight.

"Well if it's not so bad…" Touma replied in lethargy until he was brought back from the pain flaring up again. "No, I do want you to! Why would I not!? I don't know what's going on, but my body is shaking so much!" Touma tried to calm down both himself and her in his attempts to seize back control.

"Eheheh, that tickles!" Koishi giggled when Touma's left hand shot out and traveled under her shirt. The shaking of his body caused her to squirm as his left hand's fingers dangerously tickled her skin.

"Sorry!" Touma apologized bashfully, knowing and feeling the softness of her skin.

* * *

**"Taboo [Four of a Kind]!"** Flandre shouted her next spellcard, summoning three clones of her. All four of them had exuberant smiles splitting their faces. Everyone was enthusiastic about bringing everything to the next level.

"I've never done this before because nothing had been able to survive this point… but Touma can! You can handle it!" Flandre proclaimed with fever and reverence in her voice. On signal, the three clones brought their hands forward.

**"Taboo [Lävatein]!" **Simultaneously shouting the spell, each one had a flaming sword in their hands. The overbearing pressure emitting from the presence of four Lävateins existing at the same time had never been done before. It was like watching a nightmare.

The poor 'eye' was met with a fate no one would ever hand to someone, not even their most hated enemies.

The original Flandre threw the 'eye' and served it to a clone. The clone in response swatted it away to the next clone. And then the receiver swatted it again to the final one where it batted it back to the original.

The four Flandres continued the game as they swung their dangerous swords at the 'eye', making it fly towards the other where it met the same fate. It was a nightmarish game belonging to the devil.

* * *

"Gyaah!" Touma yelped in surprise with the surge of pain to his right shoulder. Not being through with the pain, Touma felt his left leg trust upwards in a knee jerk reaction.

"Kyah!" Koishi cried, having felt something hitting her thigh. In reaction, she gripped Touma's leg between her thighs to stop it from moving. She squirmed, even more, when the vibrating leg locked by her thighs had transmitted the vibrations to her body.

"Why is this happening!?" Touma continued to yell in dismay from his involuntary sexual harassment. He reviewed the compromising position they were in.

One, his whole body was pressing down on Koishi with her head below his neck. Two, his left hand continued its search below her shirt, feeling up her bare skin. Three, his leg was madly shaking between her thighs and hazardously right below her uncharted territory he desperately denied thinking about.

His drunkenness gave no help at all where he tried to push his thoughts away from feeling something under his pants.

He hoped for someone to come over and push him off Koishi. He also hoped nobody would actually be coming over for he was most likely to receive a well-deserved ass-kicking.

The two stayed pinned like this for a rough ten minutes. Ten minutes of agonizing torture with Touma stuck between pain from his right shoulder and rejecting the rising pleasure from fondling the little girl beneath him.

"Grr…! You think I'm going to let you continue this madness? Do you think you're in control? How about this!?" Touma finally felt a lapse in feeling with his right hand, exerting pressure on the ground and pushing his right side off Koishi.

Finally, having found freedom, he lied on the ground, twitching where his limbs jerked around erratically. Using his right arm, he crawled backwards with his back dragging on the mud to lean against a tree.

"You okay there Koishi?"

"Why'd you stop Onii-chan? I was having so much fun." Koishi rolled over with her body flat on the ground and staring at him.

"Huh? Oh. Okay, I guess if you want, we can do this again." He agreed easily with the girl and ensured they would do this again if she wanted. His reluctant disposition visibly reversed. He felt absolutely no reservations now that he was calm again with his dull mind. If he was completely sober, he would definitely protest in his characteristic restraint and as a natural member of society. But for now, he humored the girl.

The duo rested themselves for a time in order to recover mentally. The silence left much to desire and Touma was up to opening with a conversation with Koishi.

Only for the air to shift when he detected a moving object in front of their general direction.

It was closing the distance, having spotted them in turn.

Not understanding what to do, Touma sat still and waited for that object closing in on them. Running would do no good since it'll do poorly with his state of mind and the constant twitching of his body.

Rooted in place, he could do nothing but watch as that pale hue of blue gradually getting broader and closer within his peripheral view.

He felt goosebumps on his shivering skin. The temperature gradually dropped centered around that blue hue.

"Koishi! We need to run. You have any idea of where to go?" He futilely pleaded with his guide until he discovered a loss of presence near him. "Koishi! Where did you go...!? ...Who was I talking to just now?"

He looked over every direction and found nothing else but the blue hue coming closer. Deeply troubled, he raced his head to find what had happened.

He could not remember a reason for why he was in a forest when he was last outside Kourindou.

As Touma stood there in dismay, something shouted out to him in the distance.

"Hey, you! You have something really weird on you. Show it to me!"

When Touma turned his head over to that voice, the first thing that registered in his head was a hovering girl in blue.

The small girl in front of him gave an air of chilliness to his skin. There was a light blue hue emitted continuously from her body and froze the molecules in the air. Behind her was six icicle-shaped wings. His eyes met blue eyes below her blue hair. There was a blue ribbon tied on her hair and she wore a blue blouse with the rims at the bottom white with icicle shapes. The girl was facing him in a stern but childish face as she peered into his eyes.

"Huh? Who are you?" Touma asked with rising confusion. His mind was occupied with figuring out who was with him earlier, but he was sure in his mind this girl was not the one.

"I'm Cirno! I'm the strongest in Gensokyo!" The now named Cirno introduced herself. "You didn't answer my question! Show me that weird thing on you! Show me, show me!"

Raising an eyebrow from the demand of the proclaimed strongest of Gensokyo, Touma wondered what she was talking about. Her curiosity fit her childish manner perfectly. There was also an underlying arrogance to it which wasn't out-of-place for a child he expected.

Right now, he lacked the ability to find suspicion for strangers in a new world that could very much eat him at any time. Curse that oni who made him drunk in the first place.

"What weird thing? There's nothing on me that's strange…"

"Liar! I feel it! Something was calling to me! That's why I came here in the first place! Your hand!" Cirno promptly pointed to his right hand and from the guidance of her finger, Touma eyed his right hand too.

"You feel something from this? Is it danger? Does it make you want to run away?" Asked Touma sluggishly.

"Run away!? I'm the strongest, why would I run away from you!? I'm saying that your hand feels really weird and it's like what happened to nature earlier is happening around your hand! I would never run away from someone, never!" His question ticked her off where she went on a tangent complaining about how she was never a coward that ran from a challenge.

Her incessant denial made him suspect. "You were running away from something, weren't you?" Touma asked blankly.

Cirno's face turned red in anger as she pouted. "I'm not a liar, I never run away!" Releasing the breath she was holding, Cirno yelled at Touma for thinking otherwise.

"Uh huh, right, because you're the strongest." Touma parroted her quote earlier sarcastically. Something told him having to deal with this girl is going to eat away at his last brain cells before the alcohol could.

"Yeah, I'm the strongest! Hey, you're trying to distract me! Show me the weird thing in your hand already!" Cirno said with indignation and impatience, pointing at him to hurry up.

Complying since he wasn't in a rush, Touma outstretched his right arm to her. Satisfied with his willingness, Cinro got up closer to it and almost touched it before it was pulled back.

"Hey, what's the big idea!?" Cirno raised her head and glared at him.

"Uh, that's not a good idea I assure you." Touma hid his hand behind the other, clutching it close to his chest.

"What's so bad about it? Just let me touch it!" Demanded Cirno. She hovered over closer to him. Touma being stuck in a tight spot since the rest of his body still could not respond to his commands, turned his body to the side.

A pang of pain came back to his right shoulder and his arm twitched uncontrollably. Touma eyes wide could only watch in horror. His right arm jerked around and lashed out towards Cirno.

"NOOO!"

Touma shouted in fear, having closed his eyes not wanting to see what would happen. What met his right hand was something solid, but soft. His ears heard a fit of giggles in front of him. Slowly he opened his eyes and saw his hand touching Cirno's budding breast.

"Ehehehe, what is this? It feels really funny! I could just die from the touch!" Cirno grabbed the hand and raised it to rub her cheek on it. She felt the levitation provided by her magic falter so now she sat on Touma's lap. The aura around her disappeared too.

Touma watched her playful act with a pleasant smile on her face. His worst fears having been averted. Her expression was so light and innocent that rightfully belonged to a child. A wan smile not reaching to his sides sprouted from his face.

"Hah…haha, I was really worried for a moment there." Sighed a relieved Touma.

"Hmm? What's the matter?" Cirno abruptly stopped herself so she could look at him, seeing his relieved expression as if he had redeemed himself for a crime he didn't do.

"I was really worried you were going to die from that…"

"I would never die from a hand! I'm the stron-!"

"Yeah, yeah, you're the strongest I know. I know." He interrupted her, causing her to feel miffed up. He grabbed her hands with both of his and brought them close together between the two. "God, I'm so relieved you survived."

"No duh! What do you take me for?" She proudly proclaimed.

"How did it feel? You felt something from my right hand, right?" Touma implored her solemnly.

"Ehh… I felt really, really ticklish, like a zap!" Cirno answered roughly with uncertainty as to how she could describe the sensation.

The sensation experienced by her was similar to how one's hand would come into contact with a metal doorknob and receive a light shock in return.

"That's good, as long as it doesn't kill anyone." Touma convinced himself that his hand will not bring harm to the supernatural beings living in these lands. "Good, good, my legs are working again." As Touma said, his legs responded back, and the feeling of his body returned to him.

With a grunt, Touma stood upright slowly with Cirno being lifted off him to the side. Cirno's hands were still gripping his right hand.

"Uh, can you let go? It was nice meeting you Cirno and I had a pleasant time, but I've gotta find someone." Touma reasonable asked her for he had to find something missing from his memory.

"Nuh-uh! I found this hand so it's mine!" Cirno stated a rather unreasonable claim.

He had no more time to humor this girl and had to move to reach the shrine. He needed to find someone knowledgeable and with a good sense of direction this deep into the woods where he was now lost.

Then a great idea came to mind on how to lose this person.

"Hey, you claim you're the strongest right?" Touma asked with a wide grin.

"Yuh-huh!" Answered Cirno, pleased with someone finally understanding her status.

"Ehhh…but are you really? I don't know about that; I mean, I know someone who is actually the real strongest." Touma winked at her playfully.

And the taunt worked like a charm. Cirno set off from someone stealing her title of strongest was now swinging the hand in hers angrily. "Who!? Who dares calls themselves that when I'm the real one!?" Cirno said.

"Let's not focus on who it is, but why he's the strongest in the first place. Want to know?" Touma received a nod back from her. "It's because he's smart. _How can you be the strongest if you're not the smartest?"_

"I-I'm smart! Totally! I know rounding and fractions!" Cirno said to prove herself worthy.

"Ehh…but I'm afraid those aren't enough to really earn you the title of strongest, unfortunately." Touma watched her deflate lightly before she eyed him with fury and determination.

"Tell me how I can become the smartest! You know this fake strongest, so you know his secret to become smart right!?"

"I mean yeah, buuut…Ah, I just don't know if you're ready yet, it's going to take a lot of commitment." Hook line and sinker. The bait was successful.

"I can commit! I'm going to commit so hard; nothing can distract me!" Cirno declared with her resolve and pride on the line.

"Alright then, but I'm warning you, it's going to be hell. This is your choice." Touma relented to her resolve, turning to her and asked, "If a hen and a half lay an egg and a half in a day and a half, how many eggs will half a dozen hens lay in half a dozen days? Even master mathematicians found it difficult to answer this question. If you successfully answer correctly, then you've got a shot at reclaiming your former title."

"Un." Cirno nodded and got to work on figuring out the answer.

"Oh, by the way, a little advice from me, try counting with your fingers." Touma helpfully commented to which Cirno let go of his hand and counted with her fingers. "Okay, I'm gonna go walk over this way so I can let you figure it out on your own. Bye." Touma turned around and walked away with slack steps, but Cirno could no longer hear anything as she stared at her fingers intently.

After some time had passed, Touma was away in the distance from Cirno where her blue hue was no longer visible in the dark. Now he had to worry over which direction to take in the endless darkness deep inside the forest.

Had Touma didn't become drunk and was sober, he could've asked Cirno the direction of the shrine. Then again, if he wasn't drunk, he wouldn't be here in the first place.

Now all alone in the dark, Touma wandered aimlessly with no sense of direction. He assumed from the complete and utter silence of the forest, the person he was looking for shouldn't be far. The chance of finding someone other the supposed person lost in his memory was unlikely and that Cirno was a rare chance. He resumed his keen awareness of his surroundings for any movement instead of relying on his eyes.

Behind a tree behind Touma, Koishi watched him from afar. She left his side without any real concrete reason; it was her nature to do nonsensical actions with no logic behind them.

If there was any sound reasoning behind her leaving, then it had to be when she heard a sound. Earlier she heard it, _that right hand snarled at her._

"What are you hiding Onii-chan?" Koishi muttered with curiosity leaking from her voice. She eyed his right shoulder and peered inside.

Her power to manipulate unconsciousness can range not only to a person's unaware actions but the unconsciousness residing in their very cells — a human's embryo dreams within their mother's womb. Her powers can tap to the deep recesses of memories hidden behind their cells to reach the era of dinosaurs.

She dived into his right shoulder, a projection of herself flew into it, shrinking until it entered into a size ratio where her body was comparable to the cells.

Inside his right shoulder was a myriad of colors and veins going by in a systematic fashion of transporting blood and sending messages across the nervous system to the brain. Nothing seemed out of place inside.

But that was only true on the surface. She watched old cells having been torn asunder and separated now linking together. That wasn't strange naturally, but what was strange as to how they did so. It wasn't like reopening a broken link and leaving behind old wounds, no, it was like _time reversed_ where the cells that should have been destroyed wholly _returned and reborn from nothingness_. That was impossible.

And the cells that returned were not the same as before. This wasn't restoring an old arm but _reconstructing_ an entirely new arm above an old one.

The arm on the surface was completely normal. A normal arm belonging to a human. As if nothing was supposed to be out of place in the first place. And it was that fact that was indeed mysterious.

It was truly an arm of fantasy.

She wasn't getting anywhere by staring, so she put her hands to the nervous system and accessed the memory banks of the brain. Memories centered around the brain was far richer and more impactful then memories belonging to certain limbs.

Her eyes flashed black as she dived into the deep ocean of Touma's brain where she saw his conversation with the shopkeeper and an oni. This wasn't it, she needed to dig deeper, something a lot less recent.

Memories and imagery flew by like flat television screens on broken pieces of glass as she traversed carefully deeper and deeper. She didn't bother to look at them, she only had one goal, and that was any memory containing anything about that which resides beneath the right hand. She was inside a kaleidoscope of colors and patterns with new ones gracing her eyes every second. But she was met with a wall. The memories didn't go beyond half-a-year. That's not normal for a human. It was like the cells beyond this point were physically destroyed.

Flying across the colors in search for anything that occurred during this half-a-year, she eventually saw a glaring pitch-black hole far away to the side. Naturally her curiosity took over and soon she entered through, only to be met with an infinite space of black.

She saw beyond a white sun rising from a horizon. She saw fences clattered with billboards and barbed wires covering it from a distance barring all from entry. This was clearly a memory deeply repressed by Touma.

This isn't where she should be. Even her subconscious mind was rejecting this. Something screamed at her to leave. At times her powers allowed her to fish up people's repressed memories so they would confront their weaknesses.

Not this one. She wanted nothing to do with this. It was so beyond her, a dreaded feeling crept into her body. Out of the corners of her peripheral view, she saw _it_.

A young woman with blond hair, one green eye and wearing an eyepatch staring at her behind the fences. In her hands was a beautiful golden lance.

Death.

Divinity.

Absoluteness.

Unquestionable omnipotence.

Unmatched cruelty.

She was not something a mortal mind will ever contend with. The ancestral fear rested in Koishi flared all at once. Her instincts took over as her body assumed the fight-or-flight response. Expectedly flight took over and she flew back to the hole leading to the upper floors of the brain. The woman watched her silently leave behind the fences.

She was never going to return there. If she wanted to find anything deeper than that memory, then she had to go through with that woman, which was impossible. The brain was now off-limits.

But she hasn't given up yet on solving the mystery of Kamijou Touma.

She resumed her search within the nervous system and opted for looking inside the cells containing memories beyond that point where she didn't have to see that woman again.

She connected with his entire body to go beyond the emptiness over half-a-year using memories of muscle movement, the friction of air on the skin, the movements of the mouth, soundwaves touching the ear, etc. She recreated an image of an event long ago.

The landscape was limited, but it would have to do. She saw everything using not only the vision provided by Touma's eyes but vision around his entire body with perfect 360 vision. He was sitting on a rock right beside a lake throwing rocks at it during the night.

She heard him speaking to someone with a scarily calm and smooth voice. She held her breath and watched silently.

"Gods don't exist. What was my dad thinking looking for a shrine that blesses good fortune in a remote region where the shrine might not even exist? He said this was a shrine where he can find a recommendation to another shrine in Izumo, but it's just a waste of time."

…

"If I don't accept your existence, then you will have no reason to come out. As if I would accept something unscientifically founded like a ghost residing inside me…"

…

"Do you hear me? I'm in control. Leave my life right this instant. I won't accept you… I won't…"

…

Touma stood up and walked to the edge of the lake and peered down. What should have been his reflection was a ripple of sugar water. "Stop hurting others, I won't allow for it."

…

"I'm me. I'm Kamijou Touma. The God of Pestilence. That's fine. It's already better than allowing for something like you to roam free."

…

He raised his voice and roared at the unseen entity. "Quit showing up outside of where you belong! If I don't believe in you, you'll stay put and never have to show yourself! Do you hear!? Get out of here! Don't ever come out!"

…

"Heh…yeah right, as if you would listen to my words."

The entity had left, nothing had been done to denote its departure.

"Hey! Touma-chan! What're you doing yelling at the lake for!?" Someone yelled out to him from behind.

Koishi saw her and instantly recognized who it was. It was that frog goddess up on the mountain.

The memory ended there by Koishi's hand. It didn't matter to her what relation Touma had with the frog goddess, that wasn't important. She tried to go even deeper than that, but the images turned out to be really blurry using muscle memory.

There was another reason. She didn't want to be found in place of another person ostracized from society. She heard all she needed. Any further was going to give her pain and open old scars.

There was one last place to look. Earlier when she viewed through muscle memory, beyond the right wrist was nothing but a black blur. She couldn't access the cells belonging to that right hand.

And so, she traveled on foot below the shoulder along a path given by a vein. She reached halfway from the arm and stopped to the elbow where she saw an anomaly.

A deep, deep dark redness. A sea born sinister and divine. It was harmless to her but knowing that going further will invite death is indisputable. And yet she walked inside that sea. Her curiosity much like a cat willed her without permission.

The more she ventured down her surroundings grew to look like crevices. The deep red sea gradually faded away to show cubical crystals sticking from the crags like pyrite. It was like the Grand Canyon inside a right arm.

Each step she took there was a substance of tar clinging onto her but fell off with ease. No mortal mind should ever trespass into these corners. She could not see beyond the mist of dark red, only to follow the path of the vein she steps on.

The vein beneath her feat fizzled out and was replaced by a bridge purely of white light. The surroundings morphed again into a black and blue three-dimensional grid.

When she arrived at the entrance of the wrist, she saw something inexplicably out of place. It was an almost translucent gridded force-field intricately connected with hexagons like a beehive. The texture was full of circuitry like some sci-fi world within one motherboard.

In one instant, that motherboard phased into a force-field of movie film tapes with the black bars and white squares.

But both force-fields had one thing in common. There were broken locks and chains made up of some unknown material making them invisible across the entrance of the wrist. Sparks sizzled out from them to indicate their existence. The once pristine prison was now no more. The only thing holding what was ever inside were the barriers.

She felt the same danger as before when the right hand almost touched her leg coming from the force-field.

She eyed it and found a single spot that caught her eye. A crack. Not a large crack per se. It wasn't deep enough where she could see through the force-field.

But if she were to view the memory of the wrist, she might see what it was that left that mark. With her powers utilized, she traversed through the memories inside the regions of the wrist and found herself in a time where there was no crack on the barriers.

Then she heard a deep rumble. The force-field expanded outwardly without warning from its flat surface to a sphere.

The force-field was shaking. Something was trying to escape from within. The locks and chains provided no support with them destroyed. They rattled from the ripples of the source behind the barrier.

The blood inside her projection somehow went cold. There was terror behind that barrier. The quaking intensified. The hexagonal shapes had their in-between gaps distended.

An unbearable noise leaked from the gaps. That was a sound that belonged to no animal in the world.

The force-field settling down in place left nothing to be eased about.

A fluid spilled ever so slowly and ominously from the gaps. It was a deep, deep dark red born from the divine and sinister. This fluid was like a lump of matter in-between the states of liquid and solid. The water level rose with it to Koishi's knees.

She no longer heard herself breathing. She couldn't access her powers to escape from pure horror. Koishi was never a logical person, and this had been the result.

This was much worse than that woman from earlier.

Then the dam burst open.

Two gaps fully developed into holes the size of a fist poured out that baleful fluid.

She saw something solid flowing inside the fluid coming from the two holes. Two perfectly triangular surfaces that seemed to symbolize the artificial. Artificial objects like polygons existing inside a video game. They came out of the holes with perfect mass and crawled out onto the surface of the fluid, floating and rotating freely from the movements of the water. There were shadows inside the eggs with organic shapes that didn't exist in the world.

Koishi couldn't tell with her eyes, but her body and soul did.

The two eggs noticed her. They rotated themselves ever so menacingly. It was impossible to find which side was the front that it left her unstable mind aghast.

None of this made sense. They were just memories. And yet they founded her, they saw her, they had their focus on her.

Koishi only had the time to blink once. An instant later light filled those eggs from within. These illusions are going to inflict **death**.

She was about to die as of this moment.

Light filled the room and she was blinded.

Inside the white haze of the new world, something else forced itself outside the holes. Two serpentine shapes lashed out wide enough to fit through the holes. From one head, it expanded to become a dragon with claws protruding from where its eyes should be, the eye sockets. From the other a sharp head and chin with four horns.

The instant they appeared, the dragons opened their jaws and swallowed down both eggs. Reverting back to the thin serpentine form, they retreated back inside the barrier.

Koishi blinked her eyes and felt the wetness of tears streaming down her cheeks. Her mouth was left agape.

Who was it that saved her?

Koishi looked over at the barrier with more questions than answers for what Kamijou Touma truly is.

"Oh hey, would you look at that. A new chapter's been uploaded. I was beginning to worry over if we're going to adopt the Berserk scheduling."

There was an unknown voice both perverted and sinister reaching to her ears like the forked tongue of a poisonous snake.

Suddenly, the tips of claws protruded from the holes of the barrier.

"Greetings Komeiji Koishi, I've been watching you for quite some time. How've you been?" A polite greeting came from behind the barrier.

Koishi could not move her mouth to respond appropriately. She could only act out the perfect role of a fish.

"It's unbelievable that you've managed to get this far without shattering your mind, but if it's you then it isn't impossible now is it?" The voice said, mocking her lightly but found it appropriate that she was the one to reach this far. "You were smart to avoid touching Imagine Breaker. Had you did, you might not have survived from a slow and painful vaporization before it was allowed to complete its deal with Kamijou Touma. Things are running rampant here lately and the update to the right hand is running steady as long as you don't interfere."

Koishi stood there quietly, soaking in the information as she wanted.

"You've stepped into an utmost forbidden corner in the universe. I suggest you run back home, spend time with your family and not ruin what precious time we have left to contain the interior Kamijou Touma from escaping." A stern tone came from behind the force-field. The claws extended themselves closer to her slowly.

Interior Kamijou Touma? There were two? Koishi didn't feel her mind or thoughts, but they raced regardless in a sort of lucid dream. Scrambling for a semblance of sense to even associate that _thing_ as Kamijou Touma.

"Do not be mistaken, this is but a memory still." The voice said. "I have the power to see within memories, to interact with them and yet leave no ripples into the present. That's just one of many subsidiary branches within my power. Those eggs you saw earlier can achieve the same but on a much higher magnitude than you could imagine."

The gaps and cracks left behind from that disaster's awakening were slowly being mended to return the barrier's former pristine form.

"Oh, but where are my manners?" The voice said. "You're naturally curious about many things. Perhaps you wish to know what I am?" The voice proposed to her.

If any being was capable enough to survive and contend with that _thing_, then yes. She very much like to learn of what his species were capable of.

"Species of the world bond together with their own to create societies. A society of intelligence is given rise to. From that point forward, intelligence gives way to imagination and significance. These become vital images and symbolism that move and design the path where they evolve. Culture is born from the movements of these symbols. They leave their mark and never truly disappear as they seared themselves into the collective unconsciousness — archetypes, prophecies, mythology, philosophy, and thousands more. Their range has no limit, they are how people view the world and in turn create realities of their own personal viewpoints." The claws extending themselves have already reached to the sides of Koishi.

"I have the power to manipulate these vital symbols that nurture culture, inspire movements and its destructive impulses that ruin lives…manipulating memes and _so much deeper_. Though I'm not really him, the one who wills these symbols is Tanin'iver, the accompaniment of Lilith and Samael." Introducing itself to the satori, the claws were slowly closing themselves around Koishi.

"You bear questions as to what Kamijou Touma is. Let me tell you now that the boy you've spent time with is no mere lie. He is what he believes he is. Just a normal boy." A voice filled with distortions and gleefulness expressed very obvious sarcasm. "_As long as he believes it that is_."

"Any further knowledge will drive you mad. Now you are to leave and never come back for both our sakes. You've seen all that you need. In the present, you'll meet me sooner than you'll believe." The claws of Tanin'iver has latched onto Koishi.

The Satori gave no remarks as she gagged uncontrollably. But that did not elicit any sympathy from the dragon.

"I command you to leave now before I show you a world that will leave your heart a _throbbing_ mess."

The memory landscape ended. And she was right back where she started, in front of the present barrier. There were no claws, no eggs, but the sea of sinister fluids filled out the entire area. And the room within the wrist seemed a lot more expansive than before. The horizon to her left and right looked to have expanded thousands of kilometers.

When she looked at the shield there were _hundreds_ of white serpentine forms latched onto it as if in purveyance for any unnecessary slights against it.

Behind it was a slight tremor and the white coils became restless.

Still feeling the seizures choking her, Koishi remained rooted at the entrance of the wrist. She saw that crack on the barrier _deepen_.

She was stuck inside, and there was no one to save her.

"Koishi!"

* * *

**Please review and point out any spelling and grammar mistakes; they are very much appreciated!**


	10. First Night VI

**A/N: Good day everyone! Today's we have a new chapter in Touma's adventure in Gensokyo. **

**WARNING: On a sidenote, this chapter will have graphic depictions of gory details, so if you're averse to such things, beware.**

**Good news for Index fans, NTR22 will be released on July 10. And here I'm just wondering what the hell Kamachi is trying do with that cover. It was nothing like what I expected. Those purple and green borders on Touma is pretty jarring and eye-catching, that's for sure.**

**Purple is the color of the noble, the throne, and kingship. It represents wealth, luxury, waste, and refinement. It also represents sorcery, mystery, and power.**

**Green is the color for nature and health worldwide. It means new life, growth, goods and security. Because the god Osiris is a god of resurrection and breeding, Osiris is often symbolized in green. Green is also the next color to be used for the color of hospitals and nursing wards.**

**We all know which color represents Touma better.**

**Review Responses:**

**Mrcrazyman94: I very much appreciate the compliments you've given me. The Berserk part was more played for jokes than a derogative tone. Othinus' appearance will happen in due time, I assure you.**

**Shiroryuu012: I'll make sure that future chapters will have enough quality for you to read at one go. I aim to please both myself and my audience.**

**Shroom Crab: Aw shucks! You're making me blush. Now I have to work even harder. I've also been following your story and I could learn from how you write. And keep anticipating, because, for my idea of Imagine Beaker, IT, and greater power will leave you sitting on the edge of your seats.**

**M1nhTre37: If this is enough to leave you speechless, then you might want to buckle up even more.**

**WilliamZO: Tanin'iver is going to have an aneurysm for sure.**

**Oh ho ho, there will be hints to what Flandre's unexpected helper will be this chapter.**

**Youkai supposed super strength for lesser species was never defined with a real definitive scale. That's why I'm using creative liberty to classify the average run-of-the-mill youkai in terms of power to have an average human adults' strength. Special ones like vampires and oni obviously have super strength. That might be disadvantageous for Touma, but then again, a normal human's standard of strength really doesn't apply to him.**

**Sometimes Imagine Breaker works, sometimes it doesn't. You'll just have to find out what will happen when he meets with Okuu.**

**Touma's words for Cirno will have an effect later tonight. You'll never see it coming.**

**Tanin'iver can generally be the Deadpool of this fic, but he'll break the fourth wall with moderation.**

**I had a similar idea from the start with Nidhogg and Onikimura what with his familiarity with the Four Devas. It also helps that Nidhogg was used as a name for a sword. And I have another idea of what purification will mean for Touma and Imagine Breaker.**

**StrangerGuy: Birdway indeed will be pissed.**

**KRKing: There's going to be more moments where Touma will have contact with the female body. But I wouldn't call it steamy for sure unless it's someone's fetish which the possibility isn't unfounded.**

**Guest: Thank you. Generally, drunk Touma will still be Touma for sure.**

**awaredall: I love your response and am extremely grateful for it! I hope to keep up the quality of writing to be equal and more in the future.**

**Disclaimer: To Aru Majutsu No Index belongs to Kazuma Kamachi, and Touhou Project belongs to ZUN. I don't own either of these properties.**

**Chapter 6: First night in Gensokyo VI**

* * *

"Koishi! Hey, you alright? Why'd you run off like that?" Touma asked in concern. He jerked his left hand on her shoulder to jolt her awake.

Touma had found Koishi poking her head out of a tree, gazing at him from behind. The sudden memory loss he experienced reminded him of a similar time to when Izzard wiped his. And much like back then, he only needed to bring his right hand to his hand to dispel the lock preventing his memories of Koishi from resurfacing.

"Running off and leaving me behind is no good! There's no telling what would happen if you don't stick with me. Listen around you, there's no sound of movements, nobodies near us. That's really creepy y'know? And how am I going to find my way to the shrine on my own?" Touma ranted to Koishi, feeling responsible for her within reasonable concerns for their current environment.

But Koishi wasn't paying any attention, she merely blinked like she was brought back to reality. After her gaze landed back to Touma's, she smacked his hand off her, spun around, and ran away like hell.

"Wait! Koishi, what's wrong!?" Touma said with even more concern from her erratic behavior. He gave chase in response to her form of desperation. He had seen a brief moment of panic in her eyes like they were almost ready to burst open with tears. He assumed she must have seen something off within the forest, scaring her. "What did you see!?"

Touma continued to shout at her to halt, but his efforts were in vain. Nothing he said dissuaded her to slow down or stop.

"Wait up!" He continued anyway to reach out to her. But as his uneven steps couldn't make up for their disparity in speed, the distance between them increased. Soon after, she was out of his sights.

"Damn it!" He cursed, feeling frustrated from having to be in the dark all alone now. His blurred eyesight gave no assistance with finding her.

(It's not good in my position to lose my cool. Think, how am I supposed to find her if my eyes are of no use?)

There was also the problem for why she ran away from him. He imagined he had done something to scare her, but for what reason eluded him.

(Maybe…instead of relying on thinking, I'll have to use pure instinct coupled with my senses.)

Touma closed his eyes, ending his racing mind from trying to concentrate. The moment he did so, his body felt a presence not close to him but wasn't far away either.

"I'm locked on to you now." Touma said. Though closing his eyes left him feeling slightly drowsy. With his eyes remained closed, he teetered towards the movements he sensed. He also didn't forget to leave his right hand on his head.

He took into consideration for changes in the environment and felt a ping of a familiar sensation. Magic, a spell was cast nearby.

Touma's steps became into full blown running. He staggered and rammed his forehead onto a tree trunk, reeling back with a hand clapped to his forehead in pain.

"Krrrrgh!" He moaned, feeling the drawbacks to his strategy quite literally. Wasn't the smartest decision ever, but it was the best he got under the limitations to being drunk.

Then he felt a change in movement. Touma, keeping his eyes closed and his hand on veered off to what he felt like clumsy motion.

He inched closer, and in time he heard the shriek of glass breaking. His right hand had destroyed something, and he felt the magic earlier dissipate.

"I've got you now!" Touma lunged his left hand and grabbed a thin arm.

When he opened his eyes, the person he expected to find was someone else. Instead, it was a blond girl in her early teens (10 to 14 years) hovering above the ground in a 'crucifixion' pose.

An awkward silence imposed upon them. They stared at each other with rapt confusion. Both each took the time to measure the other.

This new girl he encountered had short blond hair with a red ofuda tied to the side as a ribbon. She stared at him with his blue eyes while she did the same with her red eyes. Her choice of clothing comprised of a black vest over a frilly white blouse with long sleeves and a black skirt. He also took note of two red beads on her red tie. And when he looked down, she was wearing red shoes.

"…Uhh, who are you?" Touma asked.

"Who are you?" The girl threw back his question.

"Kamijou Touma." He replied so they can get a move on from the imposing silence.

"Never heard of you. Rumia." She introduced herself short and blunt. She took a sniff and went on. "You human? You're either brave or stupid venturing into the woods at night."

"Uh, yes, I had important business that required me to go through here first." He explained. He wasn't lying, but he didn't give the full truth.

"Sucks that you're not an Outsider. I haven't had a good meal in a while." Rumia bemoaned, her head downcast slightly.

From the way she spoke and her forward attitude concerning her diet, Touma figured she was definitely a youkai who had no reservations in eating humans. He made no plans to correct her, leaving her presumption as is.

(Thank you rain cloak.)

"First, let go of my arm." Rumia started when she looked back at him. Touma complied and she dropped her 'crucifixion' pose and dusted her skirt. "Second, I've got several questions."

"I'll only answer if you answer mine." He negotiated a simple trade of equal value to both. She nodded and he did the same.

"Where did you come from?" Rumia asked.

"Some… shabby looking store with a glasses dude." Touma took a few seconds to gather his thoughts and answered.

"Hmm…Kourindou? Kourindou." Rumia took a second to think and affirmed her thoughts. Touma nodded to confirm her thoughts true.

"You've seen a girl your height that's green and yellow?"

"Uh-uh. I barely feel anyone around me lately. Usually, youkai stumble upon my dark space when they're active during the night. It's kinda creepy." She shuddered.

Touma didn't have much input earlier to his little theory, but now he can confirm something was up with the forest and its inhabitants vanishing.

Rumia went on to her next question. "Speaking of which, what did you do to the darkness I surrounded myself in? How did you even find me in all of this darkness?" She illustrated by gesturing to the forest.

"I closed my eyes and ran really really fast." Touma answered his simple plan, which she reacted by giving him a dumbfounded look.

She was starting to believe he was a genuine dumbass, but apparently, his idea worked quite effectively since he founded her.

"That still doesn't answer what you did to my magic." Rumia pointed out.

"You asked two questions and I only need to answer one. It's my turn now." Touma reasoned. Rumia relented, albeit with some hesitation and allowed him.

"Which area of the forest am I in?"

"You're at the very center."

He was only halfway to the shrine. So why did the back of his head felt like the path lengthened instead of closing as it should be?

"I'll ask again, what did you do to my darkness?"

But Touma was no longer paying attention. His attention span depleted, and he was looking over his surroundings. He spun around, leaving his back facing her.

Rumia's face morphed into a scowl. "It's rude to walk away from someone when they're in the middle of a conversation."

Her words didn't register to his ears. Rumia gritted her teeth from being ignored. Such disrespect to her as a youkai was irritating and by a human no less.

She didn't feel much pride in being a youkai, not like she used to during her prime. She only lived her life in Gensokyo through the motions and impulse rather than one who dealt with serious concerns or decided for themselves how to live. In short, she lived a lazy, almost nihilistic lifestyle where the food would come to her and she refused to put effort into hunting.

But a complicated feeling in her heart ignited in anger from such a display of disregard. This human felt not an ounce of fear from her.

"I said! Pay! Attention!" Rumia shouted and swiped an arm that fired a dark bullet at his head.

Touma said nothing, nor did he react outwardly. He only tilted his head slightly where the bullet grazed past him by an inch.

"Turn around and face me now!" Rumia ordered him. As if nothing was out of place, Touma continued to look above the tree branches.

He heard a distant hum.

Veins popped all over Rumia's face and she put up a strained smile. With a twitch of her eyebrow, Rumia spread her arms to the side and summoned ten bullets and fired them.

They crossed the distance and converged on him.

With no waste in movement, Touma used the most minimal effort to tilt and shift his body to dodge them by a hair's breadth without lifting his feet off the ground.

Rumia gaped in shock.

"Who the hell would want to live in a forest like this? It's soggy, dreadful, and gloomy. You're either a weirdo or a sad man with no friends." Touma frowned in his evaluation of the forest as a poor choice for home real estate. He behaved like usual without any regard to what happened earlier.

"Wha-!? Rumia couldn't find the right words and sputtered incoherently.

"What? Oh hey, you're still here." Touma turned around, finally noticing the girl he had completely forgotten about. "Who are you again?"

"How did you forget under a span time of a minute!?"

"It's Lumia [1], right?" Touma guessed, not feeling convinced suggested by his confused face.

"It's Rumia! RU-MI-A!" She corrected him, accentuated the syllables in her name.

"They sound the same but whatever. What do you want, Lumen?" Touma called her name wrong again and she couldn't tell if it was on purpose. He even forgot a syllable at the end.

"Mmmph!" Rumia fumed by pouting and making muffled sounds behind her cheeks. She didn't care about what he did to her magic anymore, she only focused on one thing. "What's with that nonchalant attitude around me!? I'm a youkai who eats humans! I eat you humans like its easy pickings from a single yen coin on the road! You should fear me!"

"I feel so sorry for you." Touma commented helpfully. To him, finding a single yen coin on the road was as common as finding the leprechaun's gold. "I also think you should stop eating humans."

"Shut up! I don't wanna listen to some human who begs!" Rumia put her hands to her side.

"I wasn't begging, I was asking. Geez." Touma quipped, failing to take in the gravity of the heavy subject they were talking about.

"Why do you not rightfully fear who I am!?"

"Well…stuff like human-looking monsters eating humans…it's not the worst I've heard. Nothing like that time I wandered inside a trichiliocosm and needed to break a Buddha's nose. And that one time I was inside a frost giant's stomach and only had two exits, the mouth, and his sphincter…or I make my own." Touma sidetracked into another world where the subject didn't even sound remotely similar to the previous one at hand.

Rumia gaped at him, giving him another look that held disdain, but also a little bit of fear somewhere.

"I mean it doesn't make you eating humans suddenly become a good thing. Two negatives don't make a positive you know?" Touma amended his argument.

"Not a good thing? Hah! Maybe to you humans, but how is it any different from you raising cattle, only to slaughter them for food? You're no better than us!" She sneered with contempt, finding that human morality of his to be disgusting.

"That's not a very good comparison or justification. Humans can recognize when something has sapience or logical thoughts. We have a lot of empathy." Touma paused for a moment to gather his thoughts and continued. "Normal humans don't go out of their ways to kill and eat other humans, or other sapient intelligence I would hope. A heavy understatement to the normal by the way. I would expect most would puke from the thought of eating one. We grow our own livestock out of necessity and because it's more proficient compared to older methods of preserving food. We advance out of survival and because nature is harsh. Not out of cruelty or sadism."

Something told Rumia that this human was dangerous. His way of thinking was unlike the others at the village. They lived with begrudging acceptance of their situation and were prevented from improving their quality of life without jurisdiction from the youkai. They weren't allowed to expand beyond the borders of their village and were mostly used as chess pieces for youkai to influence and gain power.

But this human here held something that struck fear into youkai if left unattended. To rationally think and reason. The power to observe natural phenomenon and find logic behind it. It was a power that attracted others to gravitate towards him. The leadership needed to accumulate individuals to work together instead and cause explosive growths in progress.

(A human leader!)

The one concept all youkai feared in Gensokyo. If a human were to take the rein and lead the humans into a brighter future, the endangerment for youkai would accelerate.

Rumia broke into a cold sweat. She held steadfast to stop this human from growing any more dangerous than he already is. The thought had crossed her mind – Never let this human reach the village.

Rumia took a deep breath. "Hmph. Then we youkai feast on humans because it's our nature to do so. It's all necessary you see." She smugly grinned.

"Is it really? I'd like to distinguish something here. Do you eat humans because it's a 'need' or is it because you 'want' to?" Touma raised an eyebrow.

"I-it's a youkai's job to feed on humans!" She lost her cool.

"A job? By who's definition?" Touma squinted his eyes at her.

Rumia raced her mind to try and come up with something, anything as an argument. "It's just something that comes naturally to youkai!"

"I feel like you need to be the one who decides how their life should be, not having others decide for you." Touma advised her.

"Ugh, that sounds like a royal pain in the ass…" Rumia groaned.

"I see now…you're the type of person who has no aspiration for the future and instead more or less satisfied with the way your current life already is…" He said utterly deadpan. The way Touma sounded when describing her nature held a good amount of irreverence.

"It's just easy okay!? First, I catch a human, kill them, and then devour their flesh! And my stomach is filled!" She admitted that she wasn't a firm believer of her role as youkai, but only because it was easy doing something for what you are.

"But it's not so easy anymore now, is it? Because of the Spell Card Rules." He pointed out.

"Hah! There's a loophole that everyone knows! We're allowed to eat Outside humans!"

"But the rules don't exactly allow you to, they just don't extend to them."

"Is there even a difference?" She looked at him skeptically.

"Yes, there is. It's easy to think that because the rules only apply to humans already living in Gensokyo, it would imply outside ones are fair game. But thinking about it, there's no explicit saying to it. A loophole is just a loophole. Maybe it's a flaw that hasn't been addressed yet." Touma said, placing his left hand to his chin. He knew it was nothing more than wishful thinking and optimism, but he needed this to be addressed. "I need to view the rules in person to see if what's being written was native humans, or just humans in general."

Things weren't looking so good for Rumia at this rate. He was starting to get suspicious of the rules and might influence others to do the same. She never gave the rules a closer look before, but the rules never really did explicitly say outside humans to be allowed as food.

"Tell me." Touma kept his eyes on her. "You said it's been a while since you had a meal. When was the last time you did? Approximately how long ago was it?" He pestered unceasingly.

"W-well, three months." She disclosed nervously.

"So, you can survive for three months without meat." Touma let go of his right hand on his head and crossed his arms.

"But not before I begin to uncontrollably crave meat for dinner after that time period. In fact, it's starting to get a bit close to that time." She smirked menacingly at him, licking her lips slowly. She planned to try and scare him, leaving his thoughts out of sync and stopping him from going any further.

Touma did not bat an eye at the subtle threat and continued to question her. "Tell it to me. Describe it in full detail what that felt like. Don't spare a single moment from me."

Her eyes glinted. This was an opportunity to fish out this human's primal fear of the unknown. With her dark motives set, she moved on to telling of her experiences when confronted with the need for human flesh.

"The first thing was my teeth gnawing incessantly. That grinding noise I couldn't bear listening to. Then my eyes would stay wide-awake constantly, I couldn't sleep for days." Rumia adopted a chilling smile like a crazed animal turning feral. "My vision starts to turn blurry and the hunger begins to kick in." The rows of teeth had their edges sharpened. "I lose all reason and attack anything that moves near me. I attack anything under me until I feel no more movement." Her eyes glowed a baleful red. She hovered towards Touma until they were nose to nose. "When the scent of blood reached my nose and its final squeal, only then did my sanity returned. When I awoke, my lips tasted iron. I had a liver inside my mouth and my hands were squishing a pair of lungs in a spiral. That's when I noticed it, a heart was missing from the corpse."

Rumia then incorporated her magic to surround both of them into her dark space. Only for the shrill cry of glass breaking to sound out, casting light from inside the sphere, sending cracks that spread thoroughly all over sparing nothing.

As Rumia went wide-eyed, Touma scrunched up his face.

"Achoo!" And sneezed right at her face.

"…"

"Urgh…"

Rumia's smile froze while Touma wiped his nose. He took a few steps back to gain distance.

After having his bearing back, Touma looked back at Rumia who was still frozen in shock. "Alright, now for the final nail in the coffin. What animal did you killed?"

"…Hah?" Rumia let out a dumbfounded response, still not quite finished having been sneezed at.

"Don't be so coy now, say it." He encouraged her, glancing back to her face.

"…" Rumia gritted her teeth so hard, Touma could hear audible clenching sounds. "…A wild boar."

His immediate reaction was to slam his palm on his face.

"The way you described it was more like an act of desperation from starvation. Did you eat anything beforehand between the boar and your previous meal? That's a bad habit. Bad habits are meant to be broken y'know. That's why they're called bad." Touma remarked.

"How did you know I didn't eat a human? What gave it away?" Rumia asked.

"When I asked you for the last meal you had, I didn't imply you ate a human. That's when you loosened up your tongue a bit and didn't confirm you needed human meat to suffice. By the way, humans don't have spiral intestines."

Rumia had no response to that. He deducted and played with her the whole time.

"Now I have proof that for youkai, eating humans is not a need, only a rare delicacy." Touma couldn't celebrate so early, so didn't feel a bit of pride in his accomplishment. This only applied to one youkai he's met so far.

Having finished his business with Rumia, he turned around again and made his way.

"Farewell, Lumen. I'm heading over to the village." Touma bid his goodbye. The words he left caused Rumia to feel dread and regret.

Rumia watched his retreating form, left with nothing but bottled frustration. The human she interacted with was full of mystery. And that cunning characteristic of his spelled danger to the whole of Gensokyo if nothing were to be done about him.

She has to think fast and stop him from taking a step further.

"Wait a minute…" Rumia muttered out, lost in thought.

She began to pick up the pieces and a few holes he left behind. There was the fact that he never saw a hard copy of the Spell Card Rules. Almost no human would ever visit Kourindou save for a select few, so he was an uncommon face. There were also those foreign words she never heard of. And if he truly needed to go back to the village, why did he go the opposite direction at Kourindou?

Rumia smiled with suspicion and called out to him. "Hold it. You're hiding something from me."

Touma glanced back at her over his shoulder.

"You act like you know nothing about the Spell Card Rules when everybody in Gensokyo should know them by hand. Especially a human like you since it's the only method of defense you have for youkai." Rumia smirked smugly.

Touma was quiet for a moment. "I don't play it very often, I just heard about it from hearsay. I usually keep to myself."

"Then why not play with me? I'm not finished with you just yet. I have something you want." Rumia's eyes glinted with malicious intent.

Touma hesitated a bit to respond. He suspected she was on to him from how calm she was acting.

"I know the way to the village." Rumia said. Her offer played into Touma's desire.

It was an enticing deal for Touma that he could not ignore it. He had little choice in his mind on what his next action should be.

"What do you have in mind?" He accepted, turning around to face her again.

Feeling satisfied with turning things over in her favor, she began to discuss the deal they will play. "Since you don't play danmaku a lot, I'll go easy and let the duel go for about two hours. We can only use one spell card and the loser is determined by taking two pinchus."

"Then I'll win when I punch you twice." Touma merely commented, having misheard the last one for broken English.

Rumia arched an eyebrow from his answer. He must be creatively bankrupt if that's his method of winning danmaku. The sheer ignorance he's been displaying had made her even more convinced that he wasn't the person she initially suspected.

"Next is what we're betting for our victory. I'll tell you where to find the Human Village if you win. But if I win," Rumia grinned widely enough to split her face. "You'll tell me who you really are."

And her words confirmed his suspicions of her. She was now unconvinced of his false identity as a native of Gensokyo. Touma was treading on a thin line at this point. Who knows what could happen when she does find out.

Even when such a disastrous possibility opened itself, Touma still kept his cool and examined everything that could be put to his favor.

Despite the danger presented itself in Rumia, she was still someone who could be reasoned with. Her attempts to scare him despite under the notion that he was a native only amounted to that. To scare, but not to kill.

"I'll play the game. On one condition." Touma played his hand.

"And what will that be?"

"A little revision to what I'm going to win. I've already taken care of how I'm getting to where I need to be." Touma paused for a bit to examine her expression. He continued when he made sure Rumia held no protest in her eyes. "I want you to promise me to never eat a human again."

Rumia sneered at how pretentious he was. But she couldn't fault him for his efforts to protect future victims if he had the chance.

"Fine by me." She reluctantly accented to his demand, having the confidence of her victory beforehand. A complete novice like him against a veteran at danmaku was a no-brainer.

Touma nodded. They would soon separate themselves for the opening act, but not before he had something to say. "There's just one last thing we need to make clear about." he abruptly interrupted. "I don't have any spell cards on hand."

"…Huh?" Rumia titled her head bewilderedly.

"I don't play danmaku a lot remember? That's why I lose my cards very often." Touma said without missing a beat.

Rumia trailed a hand from her temple to her chin in exasperation. She really did find this human an idiot. He must have been aware already that his act was falling apart, so the fact that he kept trying to hide it was dumb. She found it cute how he was still trying to be subtle about it though.

"Give me a moment." Rumia rummaged around her skirt until bringing out a blank piece of paper. "One fresh, blank spell card ready to be imprinted. I had this just in case whenever I need it. Here use this." She handed it to him.

"Okay…how do I do this again?" Touma asked innocently.

"You're kidding me." Rumia chuckled from his stupidity. "Do you really want to keep pretending?"

"I don't know what you're talking about." He deflected. "Anytime is a good time to review the rules."

Rumia sighed. "Just think about what makes you 'you' and squeeze it on the card." She advised, putting some distance between them and adopting her 'crucifixion' pose. "If your spell card is ready, then we'll duel immediately!"

Touma fell down into a nervous breakdown.

(This is bad! This is really bad! How am I supposed to imprint my mana into this without Imagine Breaker interfering!?)

Kamijou Touma has never - in his life – utilized his mana. To project magic into this card was beyond his expertise.

He no longer had an escape route past this point. It was his decision, and so he must walk down this path to the end. He'll just have to wing it.

Cooling his head, he held the card in his left hand, closed his eyes, and concentrated.

The headache searing inside his brain ached him. His concentration disturbed. Focusing all of him inside the card was impossible at this hour. The intoxication may have dissipated slightly, but he was by no means sober.

"Hey, is there another method to doing this?" Touma asked sheepishly.

"Pfft, do you want me to hold your hands as you finish the basics?" Rumia remarked snidely. "Instead of thinking about yourself, think about what you want. I've seen people use spell cards that had absolutely nothing to do with them." She held a hand to wave off.

(What I desire…)

Touma looked down on the card in his hand. There were numerous things he wanted that lead up to his current situation: To go home; to stop the dragons; to find that one person missing from his memories. And he had had dozens more before arriving in Gensokyo.

But he had to focus on the now. The present called for him to wish for what is most important. Touma glanced at Rumia again before giving his attention back to the card.

"Alright, I've made my decision." Touma narrowed his eyes to remove their glaze. He glared deeply into the card in his fingers and closed his eyes.

(I want this youkai to stop eating humans.)

As Touma projected his desire, Rumia watched him intensely. "What's he gonna do?" She whispered softly.

A minute turned by without him noticing, and the feeling of rustling came from his hand. When he opened his eyes, he saw the once blank card been given more life imbued to it.

"An egg?"

The borders of the card had a swarm of black tendrils that carried the illusion of movement when he tilted the card in any direction. They lack the general outlines of tentacles and were purer in their simplistic shape. But the most eye-catching was the egg at the very center. It was triangular polygonal in texture. But Touma thought his eyes were playing tricks. The triangles would flicker into having more than 180 degrees, which was utterly impossible. The entire egg would flicker out of position, creating afterimages that would sporadically leave the flat surface of the card and float above the surface by an inch.

It frightened Touma so he shook his head. He didn't understand how this came to be. He presumed Imagine Breaker wouldn't allow for this to occur.

He rushed into action and snatched the card in his right hand. A sickening crunch rang out, and the texture and egg dissipated like mist to reveal the pure emptiness that was lost a minute ago. He pocketed it and decided the time to look over it can come after the danmaku match. Touma raised his head and matched with Rumia's gaze as she hovers.

Touma took one step forward then dashed onwards.

* * *

"Hraaaah…goodness, at this rate I'll die of boredom before Kamijou makes it to the shrine. Not the most thrilling way to die, but…eh, anything to leave this rock sounds pleasant."

A tired and bored voice somehow traveled the airless void of outer space. Blinking a few tears away, the person chewed on a peach.

"The human body seems to be very lacking in the other 50,000 taste buds and more from my original body, and a few other dimensions too."

Sitting on the moon was Tenryuu with one leg raised and the other flat on the ground. Unlike before, the new look she decided was to wear a hospital gown and pants. It was the choice she found best appropriate for the occasion.

"Time for an inspection." With a smack to her lips, the humanoid dragon scrutinized a few areas within and outside Gensokyo.

With half-lidded eyes, Tenryuu lethargically watched a forever-burning dragon remain submerged in the Sanzu River where the border of Gensokyo was out of reach.

Blue will-o-wisps danced across the surface of the river, populating the once barren air.

A serpentine form trod deep below. Its body burned with blue ghost fire. As it broke the surface, the now exposed head burned anew with bright red flames.

"Denwen's surprisingly obedient this time. It's been hours and the thing hasn't burned the world first notice. Heh, my compliments to Denwen. Although, I wonder why it's decided to stare at my direction…They're not known for being smart, but they are sharp."

As a precaution, Tenryuu looked over her shoulder to see nothing amiss across the endless ocean of stars.

"…I must be getting paranoid. Am I even capable of being paranoid to begin with?" Those thoughts were shaken away, and Tenryuu resumed her duty as an observer of the current project.

Around the forest of Muenzuka where the barrier to the outside world was thin, Kuzuryu surveyed the junk piled all over the graveyard. The unique dragon of four eyes collected numerous items for an unknown purpose.

"Ahh yep…Nothing wrong over that front. I'm starting to get tired of these peaches too." Tenryuu complained, having finished the 135th fruit in her hand.

The duty continued with the next area coming to view. Within a meadow of purple and white lilies, a dragon with a giant sole eye was stationed at a nameless hill.

It saw everything within its clairvoyant eye. Disinterested by all the commotion arising from every place in Gensokyo, its attention fell over to a pit of bones belonging to deceased babies. Its body coiled around the hole to shelter and protect them from the chilling wind.

The next area for inspection came to be the lake settled right next to a very familiar mansion. Within the deep trenches, the dragon bolded with demon wings appeared to have set up a prank for the unsuspecting soul unluckily enough to pay it attention.

A peeling sound came from its forehead, and a small light glowed in the dark like a match.

And much like her prediction foretold, the light, like a lure, attracted a gallivanting mermaid to come closer. When she approached a good enough distance, the dragon snaked out and trapped her in its mouth. The mermaid struggled futilely until the dragon spat her out with enough force to drive her miles away.

It was sight having been seen thousands of times in the past, unnoteworthy of raising an alarm or even deem important enough to raise an eyebrow. But what did happen afterwards was eye-catching.

Tenryuu had came to witness a group leaving the front gates of the mansion, and the Demon dragon did nothing to prevent them. The gatekeeper who remained behind was on edge, tension building up all over her body in response to the chaos marched inside the enclosed barrier.

Not a good position to be had when near that particular dragon.

A shock rampaged inside the gatekeeper, and she fell to the ground asleep. Obviously, the Demon dragon's machinations were to blame. The next surprise was the raining clouds being silenced. Another aspect very familiar to the dragon stationed down the depths of the Misty Lake.

And in perfect synchronicity, a blonde girl with Christmas tree lights following behind her came rushing out from the front window and into the forest.

"…That bastard is planning something." A frown naturally snaked its way to Tenryuu's face. Her intense glare pointed to the Demon dragon was by no means weak even with the distance between from where she sat on the Moon to the Earth, yet she was callously ignored.

The cherry on the top of all this was the emergence of Demon dragon. With the intense light spilling from its forehead, a projectile burned through the air and embedded itself on the side of the mansion.

The mansion belonging to a vampire lord was now a salt structure.

"Was that _really_ necessary?" Her terse question went unanswered as any telepathic call she made was denied by the recipient.

With a deep sigh, the woman sitting on the moon decided to look elsewhere, making certain to keep the previous player on high alert.

In a sea of charred bamboo, a dragon of opal oversaw its progress. Looking to its front were ten monoliths being erected like they were built inside a 3D printer. Off to the side were dark steeled, futuristic caskets stationed. When the lids slid open, what walked out of them was dark blue scaled bodies modeled with a human anatomy. They were large with the size of 200cm and a slender build. Their heads were round combined with a smooth face with no mouths, nose, or eyes sockets. An eerie light instead shined from two holes synonymous to eyes for these machines.

Behind the serpent of minerals were hundreds of them in formation. Without glancing back, the dragon gave out the order for them to disperse.

"Seems like my senior is the only diligent individual taking this seriously. And what about that one monitoring the Hakurei Shrine?"

Tenryuu cast her gaze over to the shrine where the host, Hakurei Reimu, did nothing to de-escalate the situation. The volatile girl looked more ready to throw down the glove on every attendee instead. The resurrection plant which laid limply on the shrine was uncaring for them all.

"Doesn't seem to have been turning out so well. The amicable mood was expectedly short-lived, and tensions are reaching boiling point. Damn, where has Yukari gone? Why is she not present over there?"

It wasn't as if the dragon of flow and stillness had any means to control that unpredictable spectator known as Yukari. The serpent was not the most skilled in negotiation nor an expert in keeping tabs with wildcards. Finding an opening into her gap space was too much of a hassle and trying to do so on the moon where Yukari can't even reach without under very specific circumstances meant trying to pick apart roof tiles on a flat-headed building.

"Ah, I forgot the Yama happened to be there too. She seems to have things under control." A sigh leaked out from the bored dragon. She tapped out and leaned her back ungracefully onto the rough surface of the moon. "Wish something could happen already to be worth watching…"

A feeling known as fatigue slowly crouched onto her eye-lids. New feelings and experiences constantly surged the more accustomed she became with the crafted human body. This was fine. Her role on the moon was nearing completion; there was no more for her to do but wait for the inevitable.

Suddenly-

"Hagh!"

Tenryuu grunted loudly, feeling the deep core of her existence singing in response to the master's command. A hand clutched her chest tightly with such force it almost threatened to crush the heart. And when she resisted, her heart still experienced jubilations from being ordered by the master knowingly or not. She craved it, the satisfaction in fulfilling her purpose for existence. But this was not the time to lend an ear to the other leader, the situation was far too delicate for a new command to take shape.

"That's not supposed…to happen. How is that even possible?" Tenryuu croaked, contorting her face in both pleasure and defiance. She bore witness to Kamijou Touma crushing a card after strenuously standing upright. "How can Tanin'iver allow this to have happened? Where the hell are you!?"

With seething impatience, she saw the aforementioned serpent flailing on the ground in pure surprise.

"Well, I knew the process was moving too smoothly in my mind. They've already committed to the job, so this is their mess to fix." The incessant ringing did not cease. Every dragon had heard the message, some almost fell into temptation to return to their rightful master's side. However, they all calmed down enough to prioritize the job they've already been commissioned before marching into Gensokyo.

Just as Tenryuu regained her posture and complexion, a passing figure happened to be spotted within the corner of her eye. A bird of prey had left the Earth's atmosphere and loomed closer to the Moon.

Nothing was done to prevent the crow from reaching the domain of the Moon under her control. In fact, it was a stroke of fortune for the crow to appear in a time of need. With open arms, the crow was allowed entry and descended to perch a steel beam in front of Tenryuu with a cold gaze.

A small smile crept Tenryuu's face as she bowed. "To what do I owe the pleasure in standing before a god?"

The cold abyss of space stood attention in the background as the stare off between the benign dragon and the lukewarm servant of one of the most renowned gods in mythology commenced. The thick atmosphere was dispelled from the mere utterance of the crow's tongue.

"State your purpose, worm." A voice of the utmost level of authority caved immense pressure onto Tenryuu's shoulders. The dragon continued to smile despite the danger.

"Hehe, that can be arranged. Although, if you were to humor me, it was no surprise you hid your last remaining strength as a Magic God. There was no doubt considering your aspect of being a god of deception."

"Brave, aren't we? Or are you just audacious like the rest?"

"I do not fear death like the mortals thriving on that tiny planet they call Earth. Death is no different than from a cold you catch from the change of seasons. It'll wear out in time."

"Your tongue is far too unsteady. It will find better use as feed for my crow." There was no hesitance in her words. The wing of Huginn raised slightly to smite the bowing dragon before it.

"Speaking of crows, I'm actually impressed by the lengths you've taken just to search for Kamijou." Tenryuu spoke again, cutting through the sharp tension as Huginn almost laid waste to her.

"..." The wing of Huginn paused briefly in attention.

"There's no cause for being so impatient. You don't expect me to just let him die, do you?" The crow found itself lowering the wing as an act of mercy. She had succeeded in holding the conversation for a few more minutes. "You are intimately aware of the dangers in utilizing your powers as a magic god. The paradox of omnipotence will hand you a coin to flip between 50/50 chance of succeeding or failing any action you intend to act on. Despite this, you not only summoned your beloved crow, but attempted to escape the atmosphere of the Earth after noticing the irregularity of the Moon and even had the intent to destroy me as a threat. That was reckless, far exceeding the limits of self-preservation, something I can only call praiseworthy."

"...You speak fondly of him, so what does that make of your allegiance?" Othinus had given her a chance.

"It is...complicated." Tenryuu smiled wryly. "This project has been established and then frozen for eons in the making. It's not as if I'm strictly loyal to the cause, my thoughts merely serve no input, thus I am obligated to obey without a word."

"...You are the blackbox hidden away inside the Imagine Breaker? You are pitiful beyond belief." Othinus replied.

"That is a matter of perspective. Trust me when I say I did not acquire sentience so I can complain about it." A solemn face naturally marked Tenryuu's face. "If Kamijou had awakened to his true power, none of this would be possible in his era. His continued negligence only served to ire us."

"So a tool would find comfort in licking the soles of another?"

"Urgh…!" A pained expression spread over Tenryuu's face. "I do not wish nor decide who I serve. Irregardless of my reservations, an underling must serve to their very limits no matter what."

"Mere excuses." Othinus denied coldly with a disparaging sneer on Huginn's face.

"It cannot be stopped. It would've happened even after Kamijou's generation. From my very core as an ability, I will not leave any job unfinished." Tenryuu retorted firmly.

"Hmph, continue to convince yourself of that. It will only serve to create a demon in your heart."

Exposed to her words, Tenryuu could only laugh in self-derision.

"My benevolence runs thin. You may speak once more." Thus Othinus spoke sharply.

Prepared to hand out her convincing argument, Tenryuu closed her eyes and breathed deeply. "Would it not serve better to your advantage to appear in your regular size before I lead you to him?" A confident grin flashed over Tenryuu's face.

The deathly glare bequeathed onto the dragon would send any weaker-minded mortal in a stupor. As an irregular element in the world, the malicious intent of one god was nothing special and was brushed aside.

"You live in-between opposing realms as we speak. You rule above the cosmos as a Magic God, holding vast powers breaching infinity, and yet you remain stuck on this material plane as the lowest of spirits, a fairy. These two elements cannot coexist naturally yet they do so anyway within you." She continued her pitchsell with increasing success at gaining Othinus' interest.

"You dare propose a solution for my physique where I couldn't despite my vast possession of knowledge pertaining to this world?" The blunt words of Othinus only made her own irritation grow rather than cause nervousness to the ever-smiling dragon.

"And yet you continue to humor me and my bold claims. Even after being reduced to that state, your craving for knowledge as a Magic God and a god of wisdom had not faded. You may think I am a mere jester, but I couldn't be more serious." Tenryuu spread her arms in bold opposition.

Even though Othinus had proven to hold enough power to crush a dragon into dust with her bare hands, Tenryuu continued to defy her.

"...Such a gesture does not go without an exchange. Be quick and make it worth my while." The crow, Huginn, spread its beak and wings in an act of intimidation. It only made the scene cuter.

With permission received, Tenryuu shifted her head to the stars above, peering into one specific star amongst billions.

"The Veraldar Nagli." Those whispered words were loud enough for Othinus to perceive and tighten her features in response. "The name of the North Star in Norse mythology. It is the world spike embedded in the center of the universe surrounded by fire from Muspell acting as stars inside Ymir's skull. By the hands of Odin no less. It's also called _Odin's eye_ by some as well." Tenryuu did not even need to glance at Huginn's stupefied expression.

Huginn too wrestled its eyes away from Tenryuu to stare at the unblinking star in the night sky. Sure enough, that star was quite familiar to Othinus. It was the first spring where she sacrificed her original eye to create the first phase for her debut as a Magic God.

Tenryuu raised her arm to point at the current North Star, Polaris. "You crafted the Earth, the sky, and the stars out of Ymir's corpse. That spike is the foundation of the new universe created by Odin. The brightest star in the sky and the very center of the universe, the North Star. That is true on almost every level. On a physical level? Not even close. But I don't care very much about the physical world, what is truly needed is that symbolism. But," Her hand made a fist and tightened fiercely so that it whitened. "thanks to the machinations of one troublesome Impure Magic God, my influence over that star has been lost since Thuban was replaced with Polaris."

"Get to the point." Othinus sharply remarked in a composed tone.

"Not much of a conversationalist, eh?" Tenryuu hung her arms to the side and shrugged. "You can neither go above a Magic God nor below that of a fairy, so we'll harmonize that mixture in the middle. Perhaps the eye of Odin in this phase might not be adequate, but with the original this should solve almost any uncertainty." Tenryuu stared deeply into the eyes of Huginn. "You will revert to being nothing more than a human, you will return to your previous status as a normal magician, and lose all your privileges as a Magic God. But that's nothing to cry about, right?"

The crow let out a begrudging grunt. Everything spoken by the dragon was right. She would not miss much out of her lost powers as a Magic God. Despite having limitless power, despite being able to accomplish anything, she was far more limited than anyone in the world because of it.

But she would not give them the satisfaction. As a seasoned warrior and an excellent judge of character she could tell the deal lacked the distinct smell of deception and inherent intent, or poison to exploit for personal gains. Admitting to their claims and promise would be no different than admitting defeat. Her pride would not have it, it was they who should submit to her.

As a god of deception, she would squeeze out every bit of information she can from this dragon without suffering the humiliation of unquestionable compliance.

"You honestly expect me to agree with this? You have not proven your worth. What right have you to assume I would willingly trust you?" Othinus retorted disdainfully.

Tenryuu drew a long sigh. If that was how Othinus wished to play then she'll be most disappointed. "You underestimate me far too much."

"I would sooner plunge my spear to my hide than turn my back to you." Resolute and stout with pride, Othinus broken out from the feathers of the crow. Her tiny body stood proud above the head of Huginn. Her blonde hair, the raven cloak draped across her body, that eyepatch over her right eye, none of her splendour as a god was lost in such a tiny body. Her words were not full of bravado either. That sewing needle in her hand was just a normal, dull item found anywhere in any knitting set. But in her hands, that mostly dull tool could pierce a dragon's scales and kill them.

"Your pride as a god nauseates me. I will not draw the conversation any longer." Tenryuu crossed her arms, irritated by the fairy enough to tighten her eyes in strictly. "I can't say for certain about my fellow comrades. For me, I don't care what the ends will become of my actions. I only strive to work to my limits with any means as I please. _That _is what I truly value."

With the answer finally pried out of Tenryuu, the one-eyed fairy closed her eye to contemplate. The background was already deathly still, yet her thoughtful pose dropped that stillness into another level. After a few moments that felt like minutes, Othinus reopened her eye, almost like a wink.

"No. No I don't think I will acquiesce to your proposal. You've wasted my precious time enough. You will find my wrath speak more loudly than you ever did." Othinus declared decisively.

With the sewing needle brandished in her hand, Othinus was prepared to javelin it. As witness to Othinus' madness, Tenryuu raised her arms in surrender.

"Have it your way." Tenryuu, acknowledging her failure, tapped the ground by her feet in resignation. Water all around them churned into a mirror below their feet. The image sparked to life and reflected the overhead view of Gensokyo. "You'll find him in Gensokyo."

Wordlessly, Othinus climbed down onto the back of Huginn and readied for departure.

Filled with disappointment and dissatisfaction at how poor the exchange turned out, Tenryuu stared while contemplating on how to turn it around. A peach was spun on a finger as she danced around ideas in her head.

"Surely, you must wonder who I am currently serving and if I'm not the only one." Her lips lifted into a confident grin when Othinus' body jolted. "You may strike me down and survive, but are you confident enough to crush all of us with those odds you have?"

Still remaining on Huginn's back, Othinus glared contemptuously at her. "Be it a hundred, or thousands of you, I will not spare a single one baring their fangs at the human."

"It won't be just us. You have the youkai and other contemporary creatures running amok down there, each unique with their own agendas." The surface of the water below them pulsed into view of the Hakurei Shrine.

"If I am leading him, there is nothing he can't overcome."

"I don't doubt that. But I'm afraid one Magic God won't be enough to overturn his position. I can see it now that he'll be used by that detestable Yukari Yakumo. And we don't want that, do we?" Subtly did a pinch of venom blemished Tenryuu's voice.

The sewing needle was flourished, spinning in Othinus' hand who contemplated throwing it and be finished with her time on the moon. The name Yukari Yakumo was familiar and caused her to gingerly handle the needle with more care.

Othinus made her decision. She retracted the sewing needle away. "...I will ask only once more. State your purpose, dragon."

Having somehow turned the situation into a her favor, Tenryuu's expression tensed solemnly. "The world _begs _for a new frontier. Don't you find it _lonely_?"

Othinus widened her eye. That was the most she had reacted since the start of the exchange.

"Am I to assume we have an agreement?" The words softly spoken sounded amiable, but one couldn't help but feel a moment of discernment and alarm from how ominous they seem.

With great hesitance, Othinus slowly nodded without letting up the frigidy in her cold stare.

Delighted, Tenryuu grinned. "Climb aboard. I shall pave the way."

By the orders of Othinus, Huginn generated an updraft to land neatly on the horns of Tenryuu.

"Hehehehe. This might take awhile, so I'll leave one of my comrades to overseer Kamijou while I'm gone from my post."

There was no significant action having been taken. The woman did not so much lifted a finger.

She only blinked.

The trigger was pulled. Lights which flew everywhere from the limitless abyss changed direction. The source, the giant bodies of gas and rocks called planets slowly limped.

Hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands. Nothing seemed to stop. Just how much concentration and precision did one need to command gigantic bodies magnitudes above the Earth in mass?

Movement of galactic proportions. Gravity blended out of alignment. Such a feat was outside the realm of thought, yet the unthinkable proceeded to laugh at the scales of possibility.

A system of stars marched at the beck of one dragon. They converged into proper form.

Pioneered at the forefront of them all was the head of the serpent, Thuban.

The elusive shape finally came to bare. The constellation of Draco finally looked proper and alive. The great maw with size beyond the human eye snapped open, telegraphing its purpose.

"Hmph, you don't believe I would be impressed with that?" Pompously, Othinus remarked to show how unimpressed she was. An opinion not shared with the rest seen below on Earth.

"Hehe. I suppose not. A shame I won't get to see the faces of those below." With her time finished on the Moon, this would be a good plan to drive off attention from it with an arrogant thought as to how anyone would think to oppose this.

A cracking sound popped for all ears. Tremors and mean clefts surfaced to the feminine body of Tenryuu. Without further delay, the human shell burst into glorious pieces like a glass figure. The serpent which lived in the nightmares of all Lunarians broke out into the world once more.

Othinus sat cross legged in boredom on the back of Huginn while the latter was perched on the left horn of Tenryuu.

The serpent body stretched and contracted its muscles, creating disturbing noises not appropriate for human ears. With head faced to Thuban, the serpent burst into movement without concern for a proper take-off.

From there, the celestials bodies not associated with Draco would carve a path to the current North Star, Polaris. And the open maw of Draco stood silent in anticipation.

* * *

**Omake**

Filled with disappointment and dissatisfaction at how poor the exchange turned out, Tenryuu stared while contemplating on how to turn it around. A peach was spun on a finger as she danced around ideas in her head.

"Aaaah, this could prove troublesome. Troublesome indeed." The dragon talked to itself as it leaned down to view the image. She glanced over to Othinus to find any reaction. Not finding any visible changes she continued with an even more obnoxious voice. "That youkai really wasn't lying after all. The ratio of men to women really is 2:8 like she said."

So subtly did Othinus jolted.

"And what do you know, the childhood friend just so happens to be living in Gensokyo as well. What a shocker!" Tenryuu raised her voice, glancing back again to see Othinus' movements slowed to a crawl. "Not to mention there are sooooo many onee-sans, and they're _really _bouncy too! I doubt any girl who's lacking in height and sex appeal could capture his heart at this rate, mhmm. What a shame, and I find myself rooting for the teenage girls. What a shame indeed."

All composure was abandoned - Othinus demanded Huginn to strike Tenryuu in the face and claw her eyes out. The dragon raised her arms to grasp the crow's legs as it struggled to rip and tear her face off.

"What are you trying to pull?" Othinus' icy cold tone and thick killing intent made the air even harder to breathe.

Undeterred by the crow currently trying to gauge her eyes out, Tenryuu responded in kind innocently. "Eh? Me? I'm not pulling out any trump cards or threatening you, no." She chuckled. "To insinuate so would be inviting death."

The hand that held the needlestick relaxed just a bit. Othinus still remained vigilant as the space between the two shortened.

"By the way, is there possibly a way for a person to have two understanders?"

The slaughter which happened on the moon was unspeakable. There was little doubt that there was no language to properly describe the carnage coming from those disturbing noises.


	11. First Night VII

**A/N: I'M FINALLY BACK! AND I'M REAL SORRY FOR LEAVING YOU GUYS ALONE FOR NEARLY ALL OF SUMMER!**

**But wow was NTR22 a wild ride. I can't even begin to appropriately describe the insanity of it and my reactions beyond losing my shit in certain scenes. I've also fixed certain details in my fic in correspondence to the revelations provided by the novel. The general plot of the story will remain largely the same, but certain details have been altered and new ones will be inserted into certain stages.**

**If any of you are worried for what the current state of this fic and my state of procrastination, I'm mostly mingling around in the Kamachiland discord alongside fellow To Aru fanfic authors. Drop by to yell at me to hurry up and update the next chapter, I'll need it.**

**Review Responses:**

**Mrcrazyman94: Yo, I'm back now for this new chapter. I've already provided the answer to your question in the PMs anyway.**

**awardell: haha, I'll try my best.**

**Guest: Thank you for that correction. I'm proud that you found Alien's debut to give you that high of an opinion.**

**KRKing: Indeed, how will Touma ever subdue these dragons.**

**UltraReader: Touhou's natural espers will follow none of the rules for the espers in To Aru. Espers like Sumireko will be categorized as high-level gemstones while moon rabbits belong to a different definition of espers as they can use magic. The Lunar Capital is a country far removed from Aleister's Archetype Controller and they don't have the Power Curriculum Program to create espers as they follow a completely different method. It's canon in To Aru that countries have been trying to create their own versions of espers so the same logic follows here, except the Lunar Capital has been making espers way earlier than Academy City.**

**: Thank you for the strong review. I've already made some talks with you on discord and had plans to remodel the prologues.**

**WilliamZO: Touma vs the four devas... I'm actually itching to write something like that down the line. At this point, his powers are as confusing as Ichigo's not gonna lie. The shocking pink dragon definitely left a big impression on me what with his opinions on his user and IB respectively that will be reflected in this story. As for Sky blue and Lemon yellow... I really want to bring that out someday in this!**

**Guest: Frankly Touma has survived quite a number of things worse than having his arm cut off for any extended amount of time. This is the same guy who can still have a full conversation with Othinus despite having his lower half blown off.**

**Guest: Othinus had implied that Invisible Thing wasn't as powerful back then at WW3. Wolrd Rejector also has other conditions that can be used to send someone. For what worked on Touma was that he had conflicting desires in his heart when he proclaimed that he would cut off Kamisato despite his true strength lies in connecting with his enemies and listening to them out. I can't give out any important information concerning the goals of the dragons other than to stick around and find out.**

**Guest: You're right about the prologues and that they need to be remodeled. Back then in the early phase of the story, those prologues were a way to keep up interest while I worked out the larger plot lines. Now though I wish to fix them since five prologues are too long. I already have plans to shorten them into three and call them chapters instead. Some parts will be shortened and maybe even one will be entirely removed from how redundant it is.**

**Sad Panda: Sorry about the wait, I had to adapt the new information of NTR22 into my fic during this time.**

**Chapter 7: First night in Gensokyo VII**

* * *

The moment Touma took his step, he tripped, face-faulted right into the mud with the grace of a swan who molted all their feathers.

"Pfft-hahahahaha, you dumbass!" Rumia mercilessly laughed at his plight. Using her finger to point at him on the ground to express the sheer mockery she held for him.

Blowing the mud off his face, Touma had trouble shifting his weight to get back up.

Not missing this chance rarely passed, Rumia spread her arms and summoned a hundred bullets to her side. Red and blue crossed the distance to rain on his body without mercy.

And in perfect response, Touma's body clicked into auto-pilot. His body positions rapidly changed in sequence to avoid the bullets. In mere seconds, holes sprouted around his body, but not a single one landed on him. The final pose he struck wouldn't be out of place in Jack Dawson's painting.

Rumia twitched an eyebrow, and her crooked smile only added to her amazed confusion. Getting her bearings back, she switched it up by firing her next set of bullets at different angles and directions instead of the straightforward approach.

Left, right, and diagonal right. The bullets flew with purpose. They curved with precise accuracy, but even a novice would notice their predisposed path with a single glance. Touma's arm planted itself in the ground to carry all his weight, and with it as a pole, he lifted his body upward to front flip in the air and land on his feet to dodge every bullet.

"I appreciate you waiting for me; you're a nice person." Touma commented with heartfelt honesty.

With a frown, Rumia's blood boiled and veins pumped all over her face. Wordlessly, she levitated higher in the air and overshadowed his position in her vantage point.

"Woah, nobody told me about flying in this." Touma looked in slight horror yet awestricken by her simple flight magic. This bout would turn out to be even more troublesome.

"This idiot really knows nothing about being secretive..." Rumia plainly said with a flat tone though she wasn't someone to say anything about keeping secrets either.

With one hand pointed at him, she directed dozens of bullies to fly at their target without class or coordination. The volley of raining bullets neared at him. Noticing this setup, Touma stood still impassively, and not a single one grazed him. He watched as the bullets surrounded him without a worry, allowing his clothes to billow from the force.

Frustrated by his casual posture and viewing the bullets as mere light shows up close, Rumia concentrated a generous amount of mana to her other raised arm. In her palm, a big sphere expanded until it was thrice the size of her head.

Before launching the sphere in her hand, the corners of her eye noticed something flying towards her. It was a pebble that pierced through the gaps in her volley. Reacting in time, she swerved her head to the side, but the true aim of the pebble was centered at the sphere hovering above her hand. The collision produced a small explosion point-blank with a resounding boom.

The effect landed true. Rumia looked no worse for wear save for her singed hair and irritation marred into her childish face. What she didn't notice was that she was back on the ground, lying there with her butt flat.

Taking his chances, Touma ran full force towards the helpless girl on the ground, left fist raised menacingly. Each step of his endangered him to another kiss with the ground, but he struggled and grounded them to keep him running barely. Touma reared back his arm and barreled his fist at her with a fierce look. Not willing to take this down, the downed girl swayed to the side with an updraft.

Having put every inch of effort into that swing, Touma spun around like crazy. His legs responded with fever to return his posture.

Rumia then swarmed his spinning body with black bullets launched with the speed of a jaguar. When the revolving blurs finished, all Touma could see incoming was a tree trunk where he rammed his forehead against it. He fell over and avoided every ensuing bullet that carved themselves into the tree.

"Take this seriously! Your life is on the line!" Rumia shouted vociferously, not understanding why she would do such a thing.

Without lending any thought to her words, Rumia shot towards his limp body on the ground and summoned a scattershot of bullets running simultaneously.

Again, Touma consented control over to his body and in return, his body rolled over to the side, repeatedly avoiding every consecutive barrage on the ground. With a kick, Touma spun in the air to his side and with a skid of his feet in a circular motion, he stood back up.

"Alright! Now I'm really ready to get this started!" Touma proclaimed loudly across no one. It turns out the skidding of his feet had drawn his back facing the incoming youkai.

The youkai basked in the darkness reached up, settled her arms below his armpits and lifted him. Smirking in self-satisfaction, Rumia launched both of them deeper into the woods.

"You can't fly, you're not even using the most basic of bullets to fight, and you really are too ignorant of everything in Gensokyo. Even the most pathetic, untrained individual can fire off one bullet." Rumia spelled out the simple truth in hungry anticipation for the chance to chow down on some human meat in a long time. And as a preview to her victory, the youkai of Dusk stuck her tongue out and trailed it down his cheek to the nape of his neck.

Shivering from the touch of her tongue, the spiky-haired boy sprung his legs forward to grab a tree branch. Locking his legs, he then motioned his body forward for Rumia to headbutt into the tree trunk with the inertia from her flight.

The helm-splitting pain at the moment got to her, and the arms wrapped around the boy's armpit loosened. The youkai fell to the bottom and stayed there, reeling from the pain.

"So, I take it that counts, right?" Peeking on top of the branch, Touma peered down to see Rumia curled with her legs nestled against her chest. She glared up above defiantly. "Guess not."

With a snarl, the youkai of darkness launched up and summoned bullets to her side. Not being surprised by her reaction, Touma dived out of the way and latched onto another tree branch, swinging between branches deeper into the forest.

He heard the wind behind him fast approaching, so Touma halted and using the momentum to spin around the branch he held. Rumia passed through and he let go after one more spin to whip his body above the forest.

From his vantage point in the air, he viewed the distance while the rain pelted his cloak. A light caught his eye. From his peripheral vision, he saw a crowd of old-fashion Japanese-styled houses. But that wasn't what alerted him the most. It was the trees rustling off to the side. Something was happening over where he couldn't reach.

Back to Rumia, she looked around her area wearing a mask of seething irritation. The resentment she held for the human was rising the more the danmaku stretched.

She had no plans to ruin her clothes in the rain and fly above. And she was assured of herself that the human will fall back down eventually with his apparent lack of means to fly.

She was nocturnal; thus, she could see well in the dark unless it was her own magic. But the human was certainly crafty, and she couldn't find a hint of him in the trees. His dark cloak certainly aided him well. Far too well.

She tried tracking his scent and sniffed the air a few times. A failure with the absence of that human's signature odor.

"How did I lose his scent!?" Rumia held her arms up in frustration. The rain aided him from above to remove any lingering tracks for her to follow.

Not even a shadow of movement was seen. Nor was there a hint of rustling leaves sounded in the air.

Then, a thud came from a tree.

"There you are!"

A bullet traveled fast and dented the tree where the noise came from. More bombarded it until the tree lumbered over.

There was no one behind it.

Then came even more thuds around the trees surrounding her. The noise continued to reverberate as if mocking her. Fed up and annoyed by the cacophony, she growled out loud and fired multitudes of bullets around herself.

The consequence of such rashness bore fruit. The attacks landed on the bases of the trees, and the heads tumbled over to her as the center.

Paling, Rumia weaved around the falling trees but failed to avoid them all. The tumbling trees forced her down beneath them where only her head and arm poked out.

"That was easy." The boy held responsible for this turn of events walked out from the shade and in front of the downed youkai. Casually, he juggled pebbles and tree branches in one arm. "I wasn't sure how I could fool a nocturnal being but being able to see in the dark isn't enough when you can't see me, to begin with."

He crouched down to where his knees were at the level of her head. Looking up, the youkai wore a sneer and growled in his face.

"You're not a very bright person, are you? Since environmental hazards don't count as pinchus, that means they must come from my own power. Hai! Number one!" Touma raised his left arm and chopped down on her forehead. She yelped cutely.

"Hai! Number two!" Sending down the second chop and finisher, the distance was closing so very soon with the curtains of this match drawing to a close.

"Kuh!" Not willing to leave everything to such an anticlimactic ending, Rumia defiantly tried to figure out a path out of this.

She was to pull out her own signature ability — the power to manipulate darkness.

Gripping the mud between her fingers, blackness spread out and spikes jutted at the normal boy's direction. He jumped in time and lamented his misjudgment for the attack to actually be a defense. The darkness did not seek out to harm him, but to surround the youkai in a sphere.

Or better yet, he refused to rely on his right hand during that moment in case of an accident where he would touch the youkai. The repercussions could not be predicted, and there may be irreversible damage.

"So what? Nothing's changed at all!" With one swipe of his right hand, the darkness dispersed cleanly from the air.

What came out of the sphere was the youkai of darkness, Rumia hovering above the ground free from her woodpile encasement.

"Puny and annoying human! I'm really angry right now!" With a face morphed into childish rage, Rumia constructed bullets swirling around her body. They cycled around in a vortex like fireflies in the night.

In due response, Touma backflipped away from the ensuing maelstrom. With sudden poise and grace, his body flowed from the air pressure and resistance to spin and skid on the ground, avoiding every bullet in the process.

Had he always been able to do certain stunts like this?

Under normal circumstances, he could not maneuver his body with such fine control and grace.

That is if he weren't doing so subconsciously.

With an enormous amount of experience and reflexes hones through trials of fire and combat, his body memorized and can move for the most optimizable movement without any of his conscious input.

But was that boy himself aware of any of this?

Turning around to find two side by side trees, he jumped and kicked them like springs to reach higher ground. Making his way by wall-jumping he stood triumphant.

Bringing his body upright to stand on the jungle of trees, he skipped across a path he discerned for himself. The wind tickled his skin and felt Rumia closing in on him. She was faster than him for sure, but her movements were straightforward. Turning was difficult and he exploited that gap in skill.

Touma strafed to the side, timing just the right moment before she would ram into him. The duo played out this game of tag. Rumia continued to try her hardest at ramming at the boy while he maneuvered out of the way. In a battle of attrition, the youkai was certainly tiring out far quicker the human boy.

(This is bad…)

Rumia wiped a trail of sweat from her forehead. That human would continue to prance and dodge all of her efforts. Then why not remove his only terrain advantage. Smirking with full of intention, she basked herself in bullets and burst them in all directions. Ascending in time before the collapse could begin, the youkai above in the rain watched her work bear fruit.

"Woah!" Touma cried out in surprise when he lost his balance. The trees surrounding him began to lean and descent. With no ledge to grab hold onto, he could only pray nothing vital would be crushed.

A series of rumbles later and a cloud dust dissipated away, the youkai dropped down on the solid ground and looked at a garden of logs piled on top of each other. She had her doubts the human would've survived all that, which was an inconvenience since the rules prohibited death.

She could blast all of this away and find a defenseless human with no support from the environment to aid him. But that victory was far too simple for her tastes at this point. That fearless human charging into the challenge with full of bravery was unforgivable.

She would make quick work of him and break his heart. To strike the fear of youkai down to the deepest depths in his heart before consuming him.

"Ahhh… what to start with? Maybe I'll start slow and nip away at his fingers? No, no, perhaps a chow down on his legs so then he can't escape? Oh, but I should be gentle as possible, I wouldn't want him passing out too quickly." Rumia reviewed her choices and licked her lips in anticipation.

A gap within the pile was found and the youkai dived in. Crawling her way inside the logs, she was prepared enough to season her meal before dining in.

"Oh, Kamijou~ I'm so lonely without you playing with me. And I'm really hungry right now, so could you stay still while I try to find you?" Gnawing her teeth to send the boy lost in the darkness some noise to start tendering his heart with some flavor.

She crawled and crawled, careful to use her body weight to produce creaking sounds in multiple areas of the pile to confuse her prey from pinpointing where exactly she was.

"I really need your help Kamijou…Won't you please save me from this aching? I'm starving… starving for you."

Then, a light flashed from an open spot. Rumia did not rush at it and was prudent enough to inch herself closer without alerting the prey. Soundlessly, she approached with caution and an insatiable hunger coursing through her veins. Why the light appeared, she did not know. She thought the human was capable of magic, after all. But why hide it until now?

When she got close enough, Rumia pounced at it and lounged an arm at the source of the light. In her hands were some weird rectangular boxes connected by a cylinder. Her fingers were blocking the top screen where the light pierced through her thin skin and the bottom portion had squares with numbers on them.

(Isn't this an outsider invention?)

Carefully, her fingers were undone, and she shut her eyes half-lidded from the sudden light that struck her face. Out of the corners of her eye, a shadow twitched from the light and figured the source came from behind.

Abruptly, a whip-like motion swooshed at her, leaving her to back off with her back against a wall of logs from pure surprise. Startled, Rumia raised her head and Kamijou Touma's outline shook itself in the dark.

"Heh, so you were expecting me to come to you. What if instead, I actually did collapse this forest again on you?" Biding time to consider the options of escape, she threw that question at him.

"You'd still be missing one more point."

Rumia widened her eyes and cursed under her breath. His answer brought her mind to how precarious the situation became. If she were to use her bullets in such a tight space like this, a single stray one can remove the entire foundation of this pile. He could freely rush and attack her in a kamikaze if he wished. Under such circumstances, both would score a point in a clash and she'll still lose.

Touma lunged at her hard with a branch wielded in his right hand. She ducked and saw an incoming clenched left fist coming at her in an uppercut. Putting weight into her legs, she jumped to avoid it and rammed into the sturdy ceiling, dropping back down with a knee and grunt.

She scooted until she was inside a tight and narrow corridor from a leg jabbing at her face. With no way out, she just had to make sure the spiky-haired boy couldn't approach any closer. With a growl, bullets manifested from the refined mana in her hand and trailed the air leaving behind blurs.

(He only has so much room to work with! Not to mention we're in a straight passageway!)

But her hopes were dashed. That human cloaked in black casually stride forward and avoided everything thrown at him.

Rumia camouflaged with her darkness in a sphere. Undeterred by this, Touma raised his right hand wielding a branch forward to make sure there was a distance between the hand and her. Because of the range, he had no more to fear with her last defense stripped away.

"Ten, no, twelve inches, huh?" Touma calculated the distance of the branch jammed beneath her armpit. She avoided that strike by a marginal inch. "That's enough for me to reach you before you bring the entire thing down on us."

Rumia wore a nervous smile. Despite all the ridicule she had given him, it was time to admit that this human was clever indeed. He used everything at his disposal and around him to seize even the most insignificant chance to survive his first encounter with an experienced youkai.

"You'll definitely score a point if you do that. However," Touma raised his left hand and clenched it. "This difference in pinchus can't be fixed." With his final word, a straight punch drove with bare knuckles.

What to do?

With so little room, even if she swerved her head to the side, that fist will still curve and land on her anyway.

What other options were there?

Suddenly, pain spread all across Touma's body. He gritted his teeth and tried to bear it. The coursing fire caused his fist to hesitate.

Noticing and before that fist reached her nose, an insightful idea crossed her mind at that moment.

Rumia opened her mouth wide and clamped down on that fist.

"Ow!?" Touma grimaced from the touch of her teeth digging into his flesh. Her jagged teeth were no joke as their tearing power on his flesh drew blood coming in little blotches.

The bite was not acted upon by just instinct alone. She had noticed this human's wariness in touching her with his right hand and the sudden deceleration of that flying fist.

The force behind that punch was unexpectedly strong. So strong that she had to weigh down her feet just to make sure she didn't fall over by the staying force.

She felt proud and smug inwardly. But then she noticed his leg rising to launch a swift knee. She had completely ignored that he had more than two limbs.

An idiot will remain as an idiot.

That leg did not contain enough force to push her body away, but it was enough to win.

Just before that knee to her chin could end this game, that distant hum he had heard earlier felt much closer than before. In fact, he could sense it was closing in on them, fast. His opponent noticed the great change in the air as well.

"Whuf?" By her own surprise and admission, Rumia turned her head slowly to a patch of lights piercing through small gaps in the jumble of logs.

Touma could sense the undiluted power compressed into that ray of light. Bright and powerful enough to turn their bodies to dust.

This unexpected radiant power destroyed any time for both to avoid this on their own.

Touma held his gaze at the youkai in front of him. He had a power he could rely on, but not even he was sure it could fully dispel this radiant light. It will also not cover her portion of the blast radius. Worst case, both of them won't survive.

Time was running out, and his train of thought hadn't been the most rational for the occasion. But the risks he needed to make to ensure the safety of his enemy were thrown out along with the caution into the wind.

Not even the fact that his enemy sought to kill him - even worse, eat him - would be enough to convince him of abandoning them to an unexpected death by an unknowing third-party.

Right now, his legs did not offer him enough power to push her body away as the pain coursing through short-circuited their nerves.

There was also the fact her mouth was firmly biting his fingers. Detaching them came a priority.

And there was a move that could provide both ends to his goal of saving this youkai.

Within a split-decision, Touma finally wielded the power to slowly heal or to coldly destroy inside his right hand and jammed it hard in her direction.

Time seemed to painfully slow down. The natural enemy of all supernatural entities snarled at the unsuspected girl.

The endangered girl turned back, noticing the approaching disaster.

That right hand - granter of wishes and destroyer of illusions - made contact at the youkai's ofuda and a patch of her blond hair.

Time finally halted its steps.

A quake rampaged inside her body. Eyes wide-open, Rumia, as her body fell, opened her mouth to scream, yet nothing came forth.

The spiritual body of a youkai was being damned, and her ofuda seemed to melt and tear itself apart.

Not having time to assess the youkai's condition, Touma directed his right hand towards the light. Immediately, a surge of blinding radiance slammed into that small hand frail in comparison.

"Grrr!"

Everywhere was engulfed in yellow with his hand cutting the light in half to protect his body. He could not see beyond the walls, so he did know whether that youkai named Rumia survived. But he was confident that she narrowly escaped having touched by this.

His hand was lodged still by the left holding it in place, but it was not enough to prevent the rumbling left behind by the attack. Soon, his hand will be forced out of position.

Which will last longer?

His hand?

Or the overwhelming force?

The answer had destroyed his illusion of grasping victory.

His hand was bent to an awkward angle; thus, his body was lifted from the ground. The force carried him out of the garden of trees with neck-breaking speed.

His senses disoriented alongside his vision of spurring madly in the air. When he came back down, he was a far distance away and crashed hard into a bunch of sturdy branches, putting him to sleep.

* * *

"That's seven. Are you finally willing to show yourself, worm?"

Green hair alongside red and white plaids - Yuuka inspected the dust cloud in front of her.

Notified by the shikigami of Yukari, she made her way to the forest and followed the trail left behind by demolisher of her home.

"I had plans to stop by the antique store for a commission, but that won't be necessary now that I've found the one responsible." Yuuka pleasantly said. A serene smile was in contrast with the quiet fury behind her glare. She patted her parasol that was still closed.

The movement of shadow behind that dust was evident. And with a spurt of wind, the lurker beneath the darkness showed itself to the audience.

"It's not the first time I had a woman chase after me. But I hardly find this a joyous occasion." A voice so perverse and sinister rung in the air. There was a dry tone that spelled out its reluctance to engage.

There was an ominous creaking of doors coming from the twitching of their claws. A body so huge and serpentine in form, it was a wonder how this thing managed to hide behind the trees with its body slithering on top of them.

A dragon without any color. The body was neither fully black nor white since the colorful spectrum of light failed to deliver its true beauty.

Another fact that came equally shocking to the view was a lone girl being hung between the gripping claws.

Blonde hair wearing a red band, light blue dress with long white sleeves and black boots covering white socks. Her eyes stayed closed with her head hung low, indicating she was less than conscious as of right now.

"... What are you planning on doing with her? A meal, or a maiden for your perverted tastes since you're a dragon?" Yuuka jabbed at the dragon after recomposing herself from the shocking reveal of a dragon this huge being in Gensokyo.

"She was on my priority list, but now I have to scrap it... since a new wish has been made, I must follow through it. A shift in priority must be met; the others are not to interfere as their roles cannot be interrupted." The dragon said with a twitch of its mouth. There was a hint of dwelling excitement behind its distorted voice.

"Wish? So, someone ordered you to kidnap her. I'm also interested that you mentioned others. Is the goal of this group of yours to kidnap maidens as your treasures?" Yuuka regarded the dragon contemptuously.

The shake of their head denied her assumption. "Though entertaining in thought, my master has nothing to do with my concurrent aim in this girl; she was someone of convenience that I found. And she was quite easy to capture. With a single conjuring of her weakness for hypnosis, she'll do anything I want." The colorless dragon grinned maliciously.

Yuuka did not miss the subtle lewd remark. "Regardless of your relation to that girl, I'll be having your head should you refuse to pay compensation for my abode." She warned threateningly having swung her parasol leisurely.

"Oh? But see, I'm only an innocent dragon trying to protect what's most important to me. I couldn't have possibly done anything to displease a stranger like you." They claimed with mock courteously.

Yuuka narrowed her eyes at that, feeling not an ounce convinced by it.

Dragon.

Guardian of treasures and dweller of the abyss. Its proclaimed purpose fulfilled that stereotype, but she felt there was more to it.

She pulled a cheery face with a closed-eye smile and directed her retort cleanly. "That's too bad. And yet, I can't help but want to remedy this irritation for this injustice upon my estate and me. Would you be so willing to care for this lady for one night?"

"Hmph." That rough grunt was enough to tell that all pretenses were going to be dropped. "What a sharp intuition you possess. Must have come from the old age."

That smiling face did not flicker in the slightest. Only the tightening of her grip on her parasol was enough to turn the air still with fright.

"As for your proposal, it will be a swift no." The claws twitched in amusement and derision. "We won't "play" danmaku, but something a bit more…primitive. Tell me... do I look like a cute girl wearing a silly hat?" It sported a toothy grin, not withholding any of its bloodlust.

Danmaku made it possible for all participants to be equal under the clashing of mind and art of the soul.

This dragon knew full well of the rules working in tandem with the land. And by its words, it did not see her as equals, nor would it lower itself to her level.

Though having been rejected, Yuuka was not discouraged. On the contrary, she was delighted. A handful of giggles came from her lips. She brought a hand to her mouth when they became soft laughs.

"Ah, how long has it been since someone had taken me this seriously with such unswerving will? I can feel the intent in your eye behind those claws." She opened her gleaming eyes to gaze at the colorless dragon with the craving for a bloodbath.

"Should it be wise to release that much bloodlust, Youkai Moe?[1]" The dragon mocked in quiet amusement. "If you want to spark that long lost thrill and pump that shriveled and decrepit body of yours, be my guest. The first move is all yours." They offered pretentiously.

And the youkai smirked. "It's already been done."

A moment too late in realization, the dragon dropped Alice from its hold and squirmed in pain.

"AAAAARGH!?"

A bloodcurdling shriek burst from the throat of the dragon. But that wasn't the only thing. A garden of flowers flew out of its mouth.

"The air!? Spores!"

Yuuka had her mouth lightly open in a cruel smile. She watched sadistically as the dragon writhed its body in agony.

What she had done was to spread and implant spores in the oxygen that all living organisms breathe. With the intake of the seeds, flowers that were once thought harmless will accelerate their growth from the inside and shred the body from tiny gaps and holes that couldn't be reached.

The twisted body expanded in size; vines leaked out from under the scales with blood crudely spilling from the wounds. Thousands of saplings shoved the dragon's jaw and teeth from the gums, bringing untold pain. And the base of the claws - where the eye sockets should be had malignant petals slipping from the small gaps with tears of blood flowing down.

"Is this all that you can offer me? I appreciate how well you're lasting against my trap, so please, become another of my fine works of art." Yuuka's face turned neutral in slight disappoint that struggling was the only resistance coming from the dragon.

Their face became disfigured as the unending stream of greenery took over and swallowed them up from the inside. The trembling stopped and repeatedly resumed in reoccurrence. The claws gripped against each other and threatened to tear off from the base with how forceful they were pressed.

Some of the scales had fallen off with a pop, giving an opportunity to study the insides. Yuuka casually walked closer until she was beneath the chin of the dragon. She kicked away the fragile body of Alice and examined the contents.

"What?" Was her surprised murmur.

From within, she found nothing but a hollow shell. There did not exist any innards or flesh beneath the armor of scales. What was eerie came the question of what the source for the blood was leaking out from.

Yuuka made a small jump and grabbed one of the claws hanging above. She then gripped it with tremendous strength bordering on the level of an oni's and brought it down to the ground alongside the dragon's head.

"Haa…haa…haa…haa…"

The whizzing and raspy voice were all that was heard in the aftermath of such horrific torture. Their face lost all spirit and had their tongue sticking out on the ground.

"Explain this to me. What type of dragon are you supposed to be?" Yuuka asked coldly.

Too weak. This dragon was too weak in her opinion. It's believed that dragons were two magnitudes above youkai in the land of Gensokyo. But the performance of this one, especially of its grand size, was a complete wash.

"I…am Tanin'iver, the accompaniment of Lilith and Samael, that is to say, it is my role to bring two forces as one." The previously tired body was no more. The fakement promptly ended, and Yuuka wisely backed off. "Connect and disconnect." Head lifted, the now named Tanin'iver shook its head to remove any unnecessary accessories. "I am an invisible serpent manifested into the material world by residing and claiming the Sephirah – Netzach - to grant a long dead wish."

Yuuka gained distance between them and held her tongue from interrupting the dragon.

"As of now, I'm only working within the world of Yezirah – the World of Formation. But in truth, I'm actually a dragon dwelling in Atziluth – the World of Emanation." Tanin'iver breathed out a small gust of air and sneezed a bundle of flowers.

The body bulked up and from every orifice, flowers and spores poured out dyed in crimson blood. The next to come was the regurgitation of its innards composed of nothing but vegetation that had lost all beauty from their previous color in red.

To Yuuka, a large portion of the forest was now stained over in the color of hell. Lying dead center of it all was a crimson dragon. The holes in its armor had new scales grow to patch up that material form.

"What a good ability. Or what I should be saying is a lucky ability to be born together with an exceptional user." The dragon praised in an honest voice. "Nobody would usually think of using an ability that derives from manipulating flowers towards such a hideous application. Truly, it is the user who defines ability and not reverse. I'm almost jealous." They said bitterly. The face held an ugly grimace as if something distasteful propped itself in its mouth.

"You're… an ability?" A blink, together with her surprised face spoke volumes of her perplexed emotions.

"Indeed, or… what I should have always been." A deep growl was all it took to control back the trembling anger and disgust. "We've wasted enough time; let's begin the real battle."

Yuuka brandished her parasol and poured magic power into the cannon at the tip.

"BAREEEeeeEEEAAAAAAARRRRUUURRRNN!"

What should have been launched next was a brilliant swarm of light. Yuuka's eyes trailed down to see the tip of her parasol was cleanly cut straight before her spell could be ushered.

"Thousand-fold katana made of disgusting Japanese pig iron. Worthless, yet it will cut anything."

The sight was almost comical. Between the very tips of its claws was a normal katana you can find anywhere held by the handle. The very fact the dragon was completely capable of swinging it told of its mastery.

"You say that can cut through anything? Hmm… I know of a certain half-phantom that would be interested." Yuuka gripped the parasol with both hands and measured an appropriate stance to exchange blows.

"I know of the half-phantom, a slave to the Ghost Princess. Not a bad occupation. Although many would disagree."

The katana flashed forward in a right-diagonal swing downward. Yuuka's instincts told her that if she were to block it using her parasol, she would be bisected in half from the shoulder to her other side.

With one hand released, Yuuka grabbed the handle of the katana from a free space unoccupied by the claws. Her feet dug deep into the dirt from the force pushing her and was sent flying across trees.

With a flip in the air, she settled back on the ground on her two feet and detected an incoming object behind her. She whipped the parasol behind and blocked a thin and long white object lancing at her. She spun on her heel and shifted to deflect the lance every time it rapidly lunged at her.

"What could this be now?" She directed that question to the dragon far and hiding inside the canopy of trees.

"Ah, sorry, you have no idea about modern slang, so we'll use an appropriate term for a sophisticated and behind the times maiden such as you. We'll dub it as a sodomy stick." Tanin'iver commented ruefully from somewhere hidden in the dark.

Yuuka's glare deepened with a wave of harsh and fierce anger, freezing all movement. The height of her bloodlust staggered into a vortex that sprang and cursed the land. Concentrated to the tip of the sliced parasol was a substitute spear of flora which she stabbed the sodomy stick and infested it by having more flora spread and ground it to the earth.

"Found you." From the corners of her peripheral vision, a small glint of steel was all she needed to find the dragon wielding a katana in the forest.

Bands of light converged and compressed to the tip of parasol once more. The concentration of raw power magnified with each second. When she took aim at the dragon, the light radiated and revealed his form hanging above the branches.

**"[Master Spark]"**

A cold declaration, a final decree to obliterate the dragon. A bright and massive beam of light erupted and flew.

Then a clash occurred. Yuuka's vision was obstructed by her spell that she couldn't have noticed a power matching hers. When a rectangular shadow closed in on her from the front and within her beam, she sidestepped away and watched a metal monster having passed through.

"Is that not a human construct?" Yuuka said.

"Truck-kun here is a hard worker relieving himself of his break to assist me. His admirable form may be common, but everything that comes in contact with his gallant front will be thrown to another world." Tanin'iver explained.

"And Humanity has invented such a destructive weapon!? The world must be far too removed from the last I've seen of it." Yuuka analyzed the full enormity of such a weapon to be thought of as common.

"Fortunately, they haven't capitalized on him yet. His work is only limited to sending unsuspecting bystanders. He kills not because of pride, nor is he duty-bound. The only belief he follows is to cull and remove the unnecessary."

Yuuka's thoughts spurn to action. The ability of this dragon must come from materializing objects as weapons. But what exactly did all of them have in common escaped from her grasp. What she knew is that each of them had a unique and devastating power of some form.

Suddenly, she was surrounded by an innumerable number of headlights coming from dozens of trucks waiting within the trees on all sides.

"A shame you didn't accept the invitation earlier. Everyone else here didn't give this much resistance as you do. Bear with it since it's going to be a lot rougher than what they all felt."

"I see. So that's how you removed every living thing here."

The startup of the trucks burned to life. They simultaneously dashed forward to crush and throw her to another world. Their acceleration had been steady, but no sooner did they halted, and the wheels struggled to break free from some constraint. With the power Yuuka possessed in controlling flowers, the seeds living beneath the earth sprung open and sprouts clung and chained the wheels.

Not allowing for the dragon to make his next nonsensical move, Yuuka crossed the distance beneath its chin and slammed the parasol in an uppercut. She next jumped above the head and brought down her parasol with extreme force and crushed the dragon's head, creating a crater with the outlines of its head. She came back down and grabbed the claws, kneeing hard in-between the dragons eye sockets from above and digging deeper into the crater.

"That makes it twice that you've touched my claws." The dragon's mouth flapped widely despite being dug deep into the earth.

Yuuka, having felt her instincts warning her to back off, left her floating position and made some distance in front of the dragon currently resting inside the crater.

"Time is up. I'm a busy person and my free time has been wasted in entertaining your obsession with combat." Tanin'iver propped its head up and stared at Yuuka with pristine claws having not lost their edge.

"Ara? Giving up so early? We haven't traded enough blows to say for certain if my irritation has been appeased." Yuuka smiled softly, her unfulfilled craving for violence did not dissipate in the slightest.

"And that's why I'm making it certain, _right now_." The dragon finished sternly without allowing for any refusal.

Something had been done without Yuuka's awareness. She rapidly darted her eyes to scan for what was done, but nothing was out of place.

"Ahh, what have I been doing lately!? Earlier I had been enjoying idle time in my home before some ruffian grazed it to the ground, and because of that, I lost my temper. I feel so ashamed…" Yuuka had her eyes downcast with a sad frown.

Yes, she felt absolutely nothing was out place.

"Ah, you don't have to worry about anything, great dragon. I no longer wish to carry out my tantrum and take up any more of your time." Yuuka smiled close-eyed.

Gone was the noblewomen seeking violence, and what took her shoes was an all-loving pacifist.

"Acceptable. I won't hold your actions against you too severely. It's quite understandable that you'd be pushed to the edge under such circumstances where your thoughts and emotions turn cloudy from how you'd normally act." The dragon nodded sympathetically, understanding the very human reaction that spired inside of her.

"Oh no, I can't possibly handle such humbleness. Why I need to compensate you for my unsightly behavior and actions." Yuuka cupped her cheek and cast a worried and guilty expression.

"I do not require something from you, nor do I possess a power to relieve that tension upon your shoulders. However, I do have a suggestion for you. Should you comply, then I'll write off every debt between us." It offered.

"Then allow this one to hear it out." Yuuka bowed lowly with grace and finesse.

"I suggest you cool your head off by seeking new sceneries. It works wonders as your mind lightens from taking in new surroundings. I know someone who can show you somewhere you've never been before. Take this chance to reflect."

"Wonderful, I am in appreciation for your generosity." Yuuka lifted her head with a broad smile. Her countenance held no more danger lurking within and reflected nothing but a flower garden inside her head.

"And with that, take her away, Nidhogg."

It was a blur for Yuuka as she experienced an instant change within her vision.

The power of another dragon manifested itself upon her. It was a power that once filled the great youkai, Yukari with dread.

The first thing Yuuka experienced was the bursting change in temperature. Her brows creased with sweat instantly, and her clothes clenched tightly to her delicate skin, leaving almost no imagination to her curves.

What she saw in front of her now was an entirely different dragon taking the place of the Blind One — a Spear-headed dragon resting its head on a platform of solid magma with its body submerged in lava.

"Yooooo! Over here! Hey, aren't cha Yuuka Kazami!? I'd never expected you to find yourself in the Underworld, Gahahahaha!"

With a sweaty, glistening face, Yuuka turned her head sideways and glanced to the oni, Yuugi Hoshiguma sitting on solid magma. From what she saw, the oni was in rags with a gaping hole to her abdomen, yet she smiled brightly in her way of welcoming the newest arrival.

"UNYUUUUUUAAAAAAAAAH!"

To the other side of her head, Yuuka turned to see the hell raven, Utsuho Reiuji was standing in front of a giant sword lodged rigidly in the magma. She could feel a cold aura belonging to the sword and from what she saw of its surroundings seemingly cooling off even the lava into obsidian. The hell raven was desperately pouring her magic refined as nuclear heat to the challenge of melting that thing.

"You ain't got nothing to worry about if you want to turn your back against Nidhogg. They have the look of picking a fight with you, but if you don't do anything then it won't start anything." Yuugi attentively pointed out to the newcomer. "But damn, it'd be good to have some sake after a riveting fight like that."

Just as she finished saying those words, her missing sake dish appeared before her silently.

"Thanks!" Yuugi expressed her gratitude to the dragon with a toothy grin. She grabbed the dish and downed the contents immediately.

"Can someone please explain to me what's going on? I found myself in this dreadful heat after listening to a dragon, but I don't think they knew what it really means to cool off." Yuuka arched her eyebrows and waved to herself to relieve some heat. She pulled against her collar, showing off some skin.

"You too eh? Seems we're some of the lucky ones to encounter dragons ourselves." Yuugi said smiling. "I was picking a fight with that one over there and made the raven join midway. When things got a little too hectic, the raven surrendered while I continued alone. After a while, Nidhogg lost all interest and soon decided to bathe in the lava."

"They quit? They seem to be of the outstanding warrior type to me." Yuuka looked around awkwardly, trying to find somewhere to rest.

She was completely out of her element being in an environment unsuitable for her in every way. She tended a massive sunflower field under the brightness of the sun and gentle breezes. To be unfit in the boiling area of the underworld was an understatement.

"Hmm, while you're not wrong, they're not someone who concerns themselves with results and only care about the fight itself. It was the same back when I was in a bandit group where my comrades had a chance. Eventually, the dragon squeezed out every bit of fun that could be taken from us and moved on. My turn was interrupted so we couldn't settle things back then." Yuugi continued to pour the endless sake down her throat and steam wafted off her wounds, mending them back to unblemished skin.

Meanwhile, Utsuho was sweating from the amount of effort she was pushing to melt the sword. The only visible progress was the guard having its casting broken to reveal giant bull horns.

"As for how you got here, that's Nidhogg's power. They said it was something along the lines of forcing their opposition to be in front of the horn if they weren't already. They also mentioned that they were a dragon forcing themselves onto Chokhmah – the sephirah beyond boundaries. Whatever that is."

"I see… this is another one among their group the Blind One mentioned." Yuuka made her way over to Yuugi sand sat down across from her.

Yuugi squinted at her and took note of Yuuka's posture, mannerism, and expressions.

"Hmm… you're acting somewhat differently than how the rumors portrayed you to be. You look and act like someone who's lived in a flower garden their whole life."

"Ara, I feel so embarrassed being looked at so intensely." Yuuka wore a flustered smile. "It has always been my dream to take care of my own flower field one day. I'm merely a self-centered woman doing what she can to satisfy herself."

"…Putting that aside, for now, we're just about done with this place, so we'll be moving on to the Hakurei Shrine. Want to follow along with us?"

"It'd be my pleasure." Was Yuuka's soft reply.

* * *

"Note to self, never destroy property that doesn't concern you. For karma will always bite down on you. It's been ages since I had to interact with someone other than my kin." Tanin'iver slithered its way to find someone who's always found themselves into trouble more than other people could tolerate.

The pace had slowed to crawl when a telepathic transmission line was established.

"Tanin'iver, what are you doing? You've taken way too much time. My patience in running thing unless you explain yourself."

It was a completely new voice put to bare now. The words chosen had been spoken like they were from a script. Mechanical, as if it was pre-programmed and out of touch from any emotion. The recipient on the other end of the line scoffed.

"Who the hell do you think I am? What you really need to be worried about is if someone's going to interfere with my work. I'll be the first one to give him a piece of my mind. The rest of you can grind your teeth in envy for all I care." The dragon washed in blood declared in a completely disdainful tone.

The voice on the other end stayed silent. Tanin'iver, on the other hand, could picture their countenance marred with jealousy and wistfulness. The two understood immediately that there was nothing too done about budging the crimson dragon's stubbornness.

After a moment to contemplate, the voice retorted back. "A new wish has been issued with higher precedence than the previous one we did not fulfill yet. I myself shall back off since I have a much higher resistance by virtue of being older than you all, but to say of how the others will react I cannot adequately predict."

It was not an order or a request for the dragon to not go solo, but a warning that their voice will not convince everyone to agree.

"I can already tell who you mean." Tanin'iver arrogantly laughed, already up for dispatching some indiscriminate discipline for its fellow kin. "That devilish and angelic duo may try to help because they're a bit younger, but it's just their own selfishness. They'll only be a nuisance. Besides, since when were we a group that focused on efficiency?"

"I do." The cold voice objected.

"Nobody cares." And the crimson dragon denied. "If you're so adamant about me going solo, then I'll make my own subordinates to do the work for me."

The voice chose to end the current topic, knowing that anymore spoken about it will be a waste of time.

"As of now the occupants at the Hakurei Shrine have started to become restless. We do not need any more unpredictable factors to be in play on the table. The most troubling cards such as the Lunar Capital have been neutralized while the sages backed off as they understood that they are unnecessary."

"Uh huh. So, why are you telling me all this useless information that I already know?" Tanin'iver said sardonically. "Who exactly was to be on surveillance around that place again? Certainly not you."

"The one surrounding Malkuth has their hands full trying to convert the land under their domain. I have sent soldiers to the shrine to calm the biggest cards and defang them to prevent any sort of agency. That is why I am in need of information for what I consider to the most troubling individuals."

"I thought you already knew enough at this point?" Tanin'iver remarked scathingly. "Your skill to scout information is second to mine and Wadjet [2]. This should be no trouble for you. Have you forgotten to update your hardware? Not that I fault you. Microsoft doesn't quite understand their Windows either."

"Are you by any chance saying you do not know? Or are you simply incapable of scrying information from the heart of Gensokyo?" The bland voice inquired with no emotion.

Tanin'iver slowly curled its head to cast a burning expression at the voice's direction.

"Of course, I know everything about this land, you moron. I may not have stepped into it until recently, but I already learnt every notable person that requires the attention." Tanin'iver replied aggressively.

"Then there is no issue present. Sitting within the Tengu-Kappa camp is the white tengu, Momiji. I have determined their goal is to mainly protect their territory."

"Stop, you were doing so well up to this point and you had me until you mentioned Captain America, or more accurately, Captain Canada. What's to be worried about someone who's trademark is Telegnosis?" Tanin'iver reproached, being a little more than irked.

"It may not be much at first sight, but she's one of the few who can track us down from 4,000 kilometers proximately afar. Our comrades need to lay hidden, so she must be the first to be disposed of." The voice expressed its evaluation coldly.

Tanin'iver stretched its claws leisurely, having already known about the thorn beforehand.

"So what? That's what the storm and rain was for. As deterrent from all seeing eyes. And if you're so cautious about keeping us hidden, just tell the rest to turn invisible."

The voice paused a bit to muse. Tanin'iver held off its smirk after realizing its blunder. Turning invisible was no longer a viable option. Not because it wouldn't work, but because they no longer had the luxury.

"I feel that you comprehend now. The world recognizes us after such a long time."

The statement caused Tanin'iver to sigh.

"I get it, I get it. Basically, you're scared and insecure now that the ascension is closing in. I'll humor you about what I know of these girls. But even if you did know everything about them beforehand, that alone will not slow down their resolve." The dragon claiming Netzach smiled derisively.

"Their characters are that strong enough for you to acknowledge them?"

The question did not hold genuine curiosity but acted like that of a program seeking out every form of information there was.

"Quite so. They're a prideful people, always seeking challenge and deriving pleasure and pain from the incidents marking history on this land. To them, we aren't that much different from the previous disasters that plagued Gensokyo. That's why you must take drastic measures to even begin persuading them. Not with words, but brutal and unrestrained violence."

Just the thought alone of crushing those players and their willpower sent shivers down to Tanin'iver's spine. The voice remained silent to contemplate their words and taken them to heart.

"So be it. I will make an example by impaling one of them to an inch of their life." The voice concluded, making no hint of flickers in its resolve.

"Ooh. It's been so long since I've seen you devour data in such a large and colorful a crowd. How regretful." Dolefully did Tanin'iver hung its head.

"To continue from earlier discussions, the next highest level threat evaluated should be that blue-haired celestial, Tenshi Hinawani. It would appear she attended for the purpose of revenge." The voice changed the topic smoothly.

"The super masochist." Tanin'iver scowled. "Knowledgeable in Qimen Dunji and wields a sword that accumulates spirit to attack the opponent's weakness alongside it. The other is to bend earth. I'm a bit flabbergasted that you rated her so highly. Have you forgotten about her sword being proven useless by Tenryuu?"

"I do not recall from my database." Answered almost immediately by the voice.

Tanin'iver shook its head. "Never mind."

The voice felt the urge to ask what the problem was, but held off since time did not allow them the luxury as there were more pressing matters.

"Moving down the list of prospective threats is the pink-haired ghost in a kimono eating dangos alongside her retainer, a half-phantom samurai. They act as a neutral party, but the former's observation skill is extraordinary."

Tanin'iver blew air from its nose. "So it's Mr. Luggs this time. The ability to manipulate the death of others. How frightening. If we weren't pillars of the world that is. Her dorky retainer is a seasoned warrior, yet far too gullible. Make of what you will with this."

The voice hummed in acceptance.

"A noble prince with owl ears and her two retainers. She has ambition. Seeking to tame one of us to acquire power and luxury. Her admission has garnered quite a few reactions and dissensions, particularly from the Buddhist party."

The mention of this individual caused Tanin'iver to become quite amused. "Gee, what on Earth will you do to the woman – who eligibly was a man, but secretly a woman the entire time – who's revival was more splendid and glamorous than that of Jesus himself?" Tanin'iver's sarcasm and distaste was so obvious, it almost wanted to implode its head having heard of this trope far too many times than it wanted to count. That, and the ridiculous wank for the hermit made it despise her. "Just take away her real body – the sword – and her entourage's too. The Shakespearian's is a dirty plate while the green Biribiri has none."

_Translation note: Biribiri is a japanese onomatopoeia. It's the sound effect that electricity causes. English alternatives available are: Shocker, Sparky, Zappy, Zappy Dan the Magnet Man, Thorfinna, The Shock Locker, Static Shock, Buzzer, Zap 'n' fap, Zapette, Bzzt, Pikachu, Microwave, Bug Zapper, Spark Plug, The Other Thor, 2.1 GIGAWATTS, 1.21 JIGGAWATTS, Buzzy, Buzz Buzz, Zipadeedoodah Zipadeeay, Zapdos, Bill Cosby, Thunder King Thunder King, Power Supply Unit, Waifu, Zeus, and many more ~ Tanin'iver_

"You mentioned the Buddhists. What do they have in stake for all this?"

"They desire peace between us and the land. How foolish. We cannot live under the same sky as the humans and youkai."

"Then forget about them. The naïve hag will realize the folly of clinging to such sentimentality in the face of forces of nature." Tanin'iver supplied a simple solution.

The voice couldn't agree any more with a nod.

"The Hakurei Maiden. The current generation goes by Reimu Hakurei. She bears no allegiance to any side, remaining neutral as to observe the area of power." The voice paused for a moment before continuing. "Correction. She does not harbor any intent to take the matter seriously, having done nothing but complain and devour every food in sight." The voice clarified.

Tanin'iver softly clapped its claws in contemplation.

"A destitute miko [3]. Her personality generally isn't very likeable."

"Such a description feels awfully familiar to me. I cannot reach an answer to quite a predicament I feel." The voice abruptly interrupted.

"Quiet." Tanin'iver sternly warned. "In terms of power, she does not reach a celestial's or oni's. Her ability, however, is an annoyance of the highest degree. The power to float from reality. The flaw to exploit is to set off her wild emotions."

"I have noted. I am familiar with such an ability. If she has such a weakness, then she hasn't mastered it. She will prove no problem, _for I have that ability as well_."

Tanin'iver snorted. "That's a little too cruel don't you think?" A half-hearted suggestion from the dragon.

"On the contrary, this is the minimal in keeping a tight leash on the Hakurei Maiden. She would do well to know her place, as she has done the whole time by keeping still under one spot. She may not know consciousness, but deep down, her ability knew it was futile to face us."

"Sheesh, lay off the coldness. I'm feeling chills over here." Tanin'iver chuckled slightly.

The voice made no hurry to move to the next faction. There was a sound of sharp metal grinding each other over the other side of the telepathic line.

"The Moriya shrine, though we are already aware of them, your opinion is imperative. They are smart to desire an alliance with us. But we aren't interested. I don't believe master would be too harsh on me if I overstep my boundary, considering he has lost his memories of them."

"Meh. Do as you wish. The Millennium maiden and the Queen of sodomy sticks? Just don't hurt their pride too much. I vaguely remember Tenryuu being acquainted with them. As for Sanae…" Tanin'iver stopped speaking, indicating that it did not wish to continue the topic.

Respectfully, the voice chose not to pry further the matter.

"The Eintei residents: Ame no Yagokoro Omoikane no Mikoto, Kaguya, and a moon rabbit. They are the last and most harmless faction. They do not feel it within them to fight."

Tanin'iver laughed loudly. That was to be expected after learning the fate of their homeland. Ironic considering the Earth was their true homeland.

"Those bunch of neets and cowards had this coming to them for a long time!"

Anytime the voice would ask for elaboration, Tanin'iver would attentively point them out and expand their knowledge. The two continued to rabble on until the voice was left with no more questions needed to be answered.

"Regarding your position in the Bamboo Forest, did you see a certain phoenix at one point?" Tanin'iver asked the voice after having completed the quota of questions.

"There was indeed an immortal human with the power of a phoenix who rushed at me. She thought it proper to kamikaze me after finding all her previous efforts to be fruitless in harming my skin. I waved her dust and left the wind to carry her to the shrine. I even lodged a piece of myself inside her thigh to watch the ongoing festivities at the shrine. Do you perhaps have something to say for her?"

"No not really."

The two oddities will soon disband from the transmission line.

"This is farewell for now, Tanin'iver. Expect me to call you again should I need your power." The voice said its farewell.

"Don't go invading people's minds as you please, Kur![4]" Tanin'iver exclaimed mirthlessly.

Once the dragon finally felt the disconnection between them, they resumed their path deeper into the forest. They would make sure to keep in mind of a devilish and angelic duo doing as they please while heightening its field of vision for every unknown factor.

The dragon could feel that the night was still young despite having until morning in around five hours. A dry expression crawled up their face knowing that for the residence of this world it was only a few hours since it and the rest of the dragons arrived. But for Tanin'iver it had been seven months.

When following the trail left behind by the seventh **[Master Spark]** used by Yuuka, what it led to was an area for which tree logs were hazardously placed, as if they were chopped down with irregular timing and an irregular tool.

"What the hell happened here?" Tanin'iver voiced its surprise.

When the blind dragon spotted a clearing, in the center was an organically shaped blob of darkness that was continually breaking down and trying to reform back into an aesthetically pleasing shape. Sticking out of the blob was a limp and thin hand reaching out to the sky.

"So, it was you, the only youkai I left behind for master to experience his first trial in Gensokyo. But what a turn of events. For the Master of the Four Seasons to interrupt, I take full responsibility. I had planned from the start to save you should the worst occur, and that's been enforced thanks to master's wish."

The real reason why the dragon left a youkai like her to Kamijou Touma was that it didn't want to go anywhere near a drunk Kamijou Touma.

"Relax now; your agony will soon cease. All I need you to do is stay breathing until I've confirmed master's whereabouts. He must've been taken by surprise from the beam and was sent flying to the same direction where it was aimed." The dragon did not speak up, nor did it send a telepathic message to the blob of darkness. They remained still behind the trees and conjured a mass following.

Rising from the earth were humanoid shapes. The physique turned muscular with a tanned skin tone. The only measure used to hide their nether regions was a giant rose. Sporting and covering their heads were white silken bags with the character of sin written at the front.

"Go. Find me Kamijou Touma."

"""""SHAMEIMARU!"""""

* * *

[1]: ZUN at one point has referred to Yuuka in this name.

[2]: Wadjet: The cobra goddess of Egypt and the most important serpent-deity in the pantheon. Her name means "papyru-colored one" as wadj is an ancient Egyptian name for the color green. The first papyrus plant came from Wadjet's body. She had many titles such as Eye of the Moon, Eye of Ra, and Eye of Horus

One legend of Wadjet's origins in the mythic where Ra-Atum, the creator deity, lost his children in the darkness of the primeval waters, so he sent his Sole Eye to find them. By the time the Sole Eye returned with the lost children, Ra-Atum had grown a new eye. The Sole Eye became enraged that her tears became the first humans. So Ra-Atum transformed her into a serpent with power over all other deities - The Uraeus. Her fiery poison destroys anyone who challenged the sun god and rightful heirs. It was this moment when the Sole Eye( also called the Eye of Ra) is treated as a separate entity from Ra. She even battled Apophis together with Ra.

Her sacred animal is that of the Uraeus which denoted pharoahship and a protector of the throne. The Uraeus means "one who rears up" and is in the sacred form of a cobra on top of a pharaoh's crown. The crown of the pharaohs differ from time to time as they were mainly blue and at times red, which was interchangeable with the color green. The Uraeus snake sat on every one of them. The Uraeus was usually crafted commonly of gold and other rare minerals.

Wadjet was also the nurse of the infant god Horus. She played a role in his protection as the earth god Geb and his divine followers tried to dispose of the baby Horus, he lifted the blanket from his casket and Wadjet hidden inside spat poison or fire that killed Geb's followers and mortally wounded the deity into retreating.

Wadjet also played a role in Isis claiming the throne for her son(Horus) by tricking her father, Ra into using his own power the Uraeus against him.

[3]: The infamous title of Reimu used in the infamous SHAMEIMARU video.

[4]: Kur: The dragon of Sumerian mythology and quite possibly the prototype of all existing dragons. His name can mean many different things such as 'mountain' which later became 'foreign land,' and later to simply be 'land.' The cosmic concept for the word Kur, which can be identified with _ki-gal_, or 'great below,' which roughly translates to 'nether world.' Thus, the cosmic meaning of Kur is the empty space between the primal sea and the earth's crust. It is likely that this is the namesake for the monstrous dragon that dwelled at the bottom of this 'great below.'

One story involving Kur was the abduction of the goddess Erishkigal into the nether world after the formation of the world. The water god Enki adventured forward to retrieve back the goddess and battled Kur on his boat. Kur fought back savagely by hurling stones of all sizes. It controlled the primeval waters and attacked Enki's boat from the front and rear. Eventually, Enki was victorious and slew Kur.

The second story, this time has the hero to be the warrior god Ninurta. Sharur spurred Ninurta, his personified weapon to slay Kur. In his first battle, he was outmatched and fled. With the encouragement of his weapon, Ninurta went to bought with Kur a second time and came out victorious. However, a severe calamity overtakes the land. The primeval waters which Kur had held in check rise to the surface and as a result of their violence, no freshwater can reach the fields and gardens. To remedy this, Ninurta went back to Kur's corpse and set a heap of stones over it. Later, he carried the body and heaps it up like a wall in front of the land. These stones hold back the waters, and they no longer rise to the surface anymore.

**A/N: Tanin'iver was fun to write. They are a perverted person and quite tricky to deal with if you don't know them well enough. What wasn't shown here was their trickster side that exploited people's insecurities that I want to expand later on. And of course, he knows the Touhou crew well enough in their most flanderized versions of the fandom.**

**Please review and point out any spelling and grammar mistakes; they are very much appreciated!**


	12. First Night VIII

**A/N: Accustoming to College has left me little gaps to work on the new chapter, but I still managed somehow!**

**This chapter is sorta like a setup to future conflicts much like the five prologue chapters (now three) working towards the SS chapter.**

**Review Responses:**

**Kuma098: Drunk Touma won't be the worst they need to worry about.**

**Shroom Crab: I'm so happy that you enjoyed the chapter. I'm still gonna keep teasing you regardless.**

**KRKing: Touma wearing glasses is definitely a disaster class, but not the only one. Tanin'iver has a lot to look out for.**

**VolcanincFlare: Welcome to the story! I hope you'll have a great time reading it!**

**awardedell: Sorry about the confusing update for the prologues, but to make up for it, here's the next chapter.**

**Guest: Maybe that's how Tanin'iver's power works, maybe not. Wait and find out! But you certainly put a lot of thought into it!**

**Ultima blast3: It's funny that you mentioned that because there does exist a phallic dragon who got saved and returned to being human by being kissed by her brother, an incestuous tale version of slaying the dragon. I might use them on an omake of sorts in the future.**

**Chapter 8: First Night in Gensokyo VIII**

* * *

The rain above the forest continued to cause grief below. The dance between the unfortunate and the guardian or abyss dweller had no signs of stopping. What will take place soon will utterly change the stage and scenario that couldn't be predicted.

An unaccounted player - an oversight in part to the dragon Tanin'iver - was removed. Yet her presence greatly changed the course of the night to fall further into an unforeseen madness.

The time to extend this trainwreck into new territory starts in the dark pits of the forest.

Somewhere lying on the mud was the limp body of Kamijou Touma. He crashed through the trees gruesomely with a sickening pop all over his body and fell into a deep slumber thanks to the roar of an extreme light which blew him away in a crazy spiral.

It was a miracle his body did not get bent into an ugly shape and had nothing important break beyond repair. The natural resilience of this body can be attributed to his constant state of pain and abuse beyond acceptable levels for a normal human.

If there was any positive to be gained from this outcome, then it would be the well-deserved chance to get some shut eye.

It had been a week since that extraordinary day where an inner oddity escaped from the boy's right hand in the West and claimed his purpose in order to fulfill the wish of its master.

One way or another, certain events piled up to a final confrontation between the two, and the normal days awaiting Kamijou Touma was certainty resting.

How quick they flew when he was thrown into this land of illusions and forgotten memes.

Back to the still Kamijou Touma, his body was sprawled in every direction.

Something aroused from a distance. Emerging from the covers of darkness and shrubbery were human silhouettes. That was the only thing human about them.

Silk white bags taped over their heads with the character of sin written on them, and giant roses covering their nether regions. A group of an infamous caricature marched mechanically in search. They swept away foliage and stole glances around the area. Their line of sight dropped down to the body of Kamijou Touma.

Even steps without any room for inconsistency, they slowly approached. One individual broke off from the group and stretched one arm down to grab and holster the boy over the shoulder.

Suddenly, a hand snatched the incoming arm by the wrist. With a forceful twist, the arm bent with a sickening creak. The body below rotated and spun the sinsack on its back; Kamijou Touma stands triumphantly above.

Another cruised forward in kind to apprehend the awakened boy. The next moment, that sinsack was sent flying by the upward swing of a "weapon."

The reaction was too fast to make out more than a blur. That level of mobility and timing far exceeded anything that belonged to the teenager known as Kamijou Touma. He was almost unrecognizable showcased by his fluid agility awe-inspiring strength.

Another sinsack sprinted to snatch the opening. They reared an arm back and aimed a heavy jab to the abdomen. Inhumanely recovering from the momentum of his own swing, Kamijou Touma released his grip and brought down his left arm to brutally elbow the outstretched arm and snapped it. Following up with a graceful billow of wind, Touma rotated his body in order to elbow with his right to the back of the head, rendering that sinsack limp.

The group showed no outward reaction, nor did they express any emotion inwardly. They all only had one "function," and they would operate efficiently. Initiating offensive stances immediately in response, the rest circled the boy and elected the tactic to surround him at every angle to narrow his space.

A sinsack launched itself to the front of Touma with a comrade following up to attack from behind. Touma's next offense was a roundhouse kick which was avoided by the front sinsack with a duck. Not wasting the already launched momentum, Touma continued its course and slammed it down like a hammer to the head of the sinsack behind him. Running up to the kneeing Touma, the remaining sinsack whipped a sweep kick. Faced with the limb coming to his face, Touma leaned his head to the side and avoided it. Kicking back up to his feet, Touma locked his arms around an incoming back kick, and swung the sinsack in a crescent moon to the side, crashing him against three others like bowling pins at a bowling alley.

Two more circled and rushed at his sides. To the left, Touma foresaw a lunge and reacted before the move was even pulled, whipping a vicious chop to the moving sinsack's solar plexus, knocking him cold and avoiding the lunge consequently. Seizing the opportunity, Touma gripped the side of the sinsack's head and forced it around to meet the one on his right. Impairing its sight thanks to his current meat shield, Touma made use of the momentum and clenched his right hand to telegraph his next move. Catching a glimpse of that clenched fist thanks to the gap not covered by the meat shield, the sinsack raised their arms to defend. The punch did not deliver since it was a feint to cover the low kick, sweeping the sinsack off their feet.

What came next cemented the utter impossibility of the current "Kamijou Touma."

In a burst behind his steps, Touma dashed horizontally across the tree. He formed an airborne reversed roundhouse kick to the back of a sinsack's head standing between two fixed trees and gripped the tree on the other side to slither down in a spiral gracefully.

Far from finished, the nimble Touma wrapped his two hands on the tree. With a sight that would surely leave any normal human breathless, Touma's muscles tensed and veins pumped as prerequisites to uproot the thin but sturdy tree out of the ground. In quick succession the second after, five sinsacks were smacked across the air in a powerful horizontal swing.

Obviously, there was no doubt the question if the boy doing the impossible could ever be "Kamijou Touma." There were too many problems and an equal number of factors to disprove the identity of this person. But this was without a doubt the same Kamijou Touma who only "lived" for less than half a year and was thrown into Gensokyo. The conclusion was the "Kamijou Touma" of now was but another side to him never before seen.

The teenager was unconscious the entire time indicated by his eyes being snapped shut tight and the sound of low snoring.

The explanation to the current phenomena is rather simple. The human brain automatically cranks micro calculations unconsciously at all times. Humans don't hear the hums of electrons surrounding them thanks to the brain already analyzing them and decided for the better of their survival filtered them out. When a person drives a car, they are already judging distance at an unconscious level. When a person gets stumped by a video games puzzle and wake up the next day breezing through it, the brain was unconsciously working on it in the background and determined the solution without the person's awareness. Not even today's computers have reached the complexity of the inner workings of the human brain. Recognizing patterns via intuition, learning, mimicry, etc. are fundamental strengths lending humanity the right to be the dominant species.

But for the case of Touma, his level of unconscious reading went way beyond the norm. Soaking in unearthed experiences and muscle memory and driving him on autopilot using the already imprinted codes gave birth to a possibility locked and repressed behind the mind of Touma.

The hundreds of billions of hells. Touma could not make use of them on a conscious level, but there was little danger as long as he wasn't awake to notice them. At most, he might wake up feeling like complete shit.

His martial experiences have now been allowed to shine forth in reality, and they optimized the situation into the form of the drunken fist. There was also the removal of his physical limitations to swell into the realm of superhuman strength.

Kamijou Touma under the state of intoxication combined with the unconscious fighting experiences from hundreds of billions of hells.

It was not farfetched to classify him as a monster uncontested to every being on the planet right now in terms of CQC.

There was a high-pitched, but low squeal running somewhere far away from the teenager currently manhandling a group of perverts. They continued to scream with jaws unhinged.

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhh…"

Tanin'iver could not believe their eyes (if they had them). There was a walking ungodly disaster that shouldn't have been born under any circumstances.

And it was all their fault.

Snapping to it, the Blind Dragon sent innumerable telepathic calls. "Kur! Kur! KUUUUUUR!" Tanin'iver tried to reach the last contact number out of pure desperation.

"I did not calculate this. I was under the impression that I would be the one needing to reach you." The same monotonous voice entered Tanin'iver's head, but there was a small mix of genuine curiosity in them.

"The most god-awful outcome imaginable has taken place!" There was a complete loss of humor in the dragon. Their bravado could no longer contain or hamper in the destabilization of their composure.

"Surely things can't have spiraled out of your control _that _bad." Oh, the ignorance. Kur rectified its subdued reaction by musing over who it was talking to. "I know this isn't the first time you screwed up that me or Kuzuryu had to clean your mess, but I suppose I was expecting too much under the impression of the gravity in our current mission. Is it really too high a price for the old magnificent Tanin'iver back in our ranks?" Kur expressed very unnoticeable disappointment under its blank voice.

"Just promise me you won't blame it on me too much!" Tanin'iver practically begged with unshed tears.

"I find it hard not to blame almost everything on you these days." Blankly retorted Kur.

"Well get this!" Tanin'iver paused to cement the suspense and gravity to Kur who was reluctantly paying rapt attention. "Kamijou Touma...is drunk AND sleepwalking!"

Kur immediately disconnected from the chatroom with a click.

"Wait! Wait! I'm not going to be suffering this madness alone you son of a bitch!" Tanin'iver raved on and madly punched the numbers into Kur's contact information.

Thanks to the unending stream of more than 180,000 pings in a flat microsecond, Kur reconnected back in. "Is it _really _necessary for me to be listening in to your impending doom?" They bemoaned in monotone. The slight tremor behind their words did not go unnoticed, however.

"Just – stay on the line for my sake!" The Blind Dragon hyped itself into an even composure. It breathed rapidly, shivering inside the forest.

"Well you best finish your job. One of my Angel_Models is already stationed below the flight of stairs leading to the Hakurei Shrine. More of my soldiers are stationed around the perimeter, so I can't offer much assistance besides the comfort of my voice." Kur shook their heads in exasperation at the flow of events. And just as it was one second away from contacting the esteemed incident resolvers.

"What do I do!?" asked the Blind Dragon. The scales on its body rattled.

"I am not in possession of much ideas either, but I'm also not exactly in any way responsible for your errors. This is the exact opportunity to finally act like a real grownup and take responsibility. Your general attitude lately has been rather lax and complacent. Spouting off memes nobody will ever understand. When will you grow up? What will Tenryuu and Egle [1] think, especially the former who admires and placed so much faith in you?" Kur scolded piercingly in a stern voice. It was the most emotion it showed since coming to Gensokyo.

"You'll never take my memes away from me! I can't work under this much pressure… I need to concentrate, and I can't do that on an empty stomach! Maybe some cereal might help!" Tanin'iver constructed a box of cereal and a large bowl out of thin air.

"..."

"Not to mention I don't know what kind of cereal I just summoned! It's like Schrodinger's cat all over again! Choosing the right type of cereal for breakfast is of utmost importance. Anything that has high right amounts of processed carbs and sugars is pretty much unhealthy. On the other hand, whole grain cereals are good for your health since they contain vitamins, minerals, and lots of fiber that helps reduce risk of heart disease. After reading the nutritional information on the box, I can conclude that the higher the sugar content, the more unhealthy the cereal is. It appears that the cereal provided by me contains added sugar. Perhaps I should trade it to Tenryuu for shredded wheat cornflakes and sugar-free muesli. But the most important question is, should I pour the cereal first? Or the milk first? This only decreases the amount of time I have for breakfast. If I'm going to eat, the sooner the better. If I pour the cereal first I might be misled by the cereal's solid-state volume in the bowl. In allowing the cereal to inhabit the dimensions of the bowl first, I would be subject to the milk's power of liquefying the cereal starting from the bottom of the bowl. The contents of the bowl as a unit are now inclined to swell, as the cereal begins to rise towards the brim of the bowl, in accordance with the desired amount of milk in contrast, when the milk is poured first, its liquidity precisely fills up the bowl to the anticipated criteria. Further, this allows me to be in control of my meal. The volume of liquid must be dealt with first in order to continue on with supplying the floating solids, or cereal. Pouring the cereal caused immediate subjection to sogginess. When milk is added to cereal - instead of cereal added to milk - the cereal is instantly on the clock. The milk would begin to penetrate the cereal's sturdy external body as I struggle to put the cap back on the milk carton. If I pour the milk first and then the cereal, I would be enabling the cereal's capacity to float, thereby evading immediate immersion in milk. In this scenario, the amount of cereal is strongly dependent on the amount of milk that has been initially poured. On the other hand, I want to avoid the splash damage from the cereals hitting the milk, since it usually scores a critical hit against my scales. Pouring the cereal before pouring the milk would help to eliminate this problem instead. AndohgodIjustforgottocreatemyselfaspooninthefirstplace!"

Kur switched its voice box to mimic someone else's instead of its original monotone. A much more hyper voice to reprimand the retarded dragon.

"Figure it out, Tanin'iver! Do it yourself! Don't you realize that there isn't any milk around? Perhaps your assessment of cereal consumption is wrong!? Everyone knows that cereal with water is the way to go!" Who said that a mostly mechanical dragon can't have a sense of humor?

"You're right! There's rainwater above me." Tanin'iver levitated the bowl and suspended above the trees to collect rainwater. "And who even needs to decide which to pour first in the bowl!? I'll just pour both in my mouth at the same time! I'm a genius!" Tanin'iver gave a shout of triumph.

Proceeding to keep their word, Tanin'iver dumped the contents of the cereal box and inclined the bowl of rainwater into its open mouth. Chewing noise rung as Tanin'iver had its mind off from the disaster hundreds of meters away.

"Have you finally composed yourself?"

After gulping all the content down the dragon inhaled then exhaled. The panicky Tanin'iver slowly reached equilibrium and reconfigured their mind back to some semblance of clarity. "Whew…yeah. Let's get this over with quickly.

"I don't see the issue with making use of the long-range aspect of your ability. It's not like you need to touch him with your claws as a criterion to use subliminal suggestions." Kur candidly lent their advice. It was sound on paper for the blind dragon's power was fitting.

Long range implied a short-range aspect to the ability. One enabled mental manipulation but was limited in the range of applications.

"HAHAHAHAHAHA!" Tanin'iver erupted into fits of laughter. "No." And then blank faced. "Not only will my ability work awkwardly considering he still has that Imagine Breaker clinging to him, I fear something worse might pop out due to my meddling." The dragon's mouth and body quivered uncontrollably. "Getting close is also suicide." The dragon

"I find that it is impossible for our Kamijou-kun to have any more trump cards to scare us… On the contrary, thanks to a recent revelation I'm fully expecting to be proven wrong." Kur was now wearing a thousand-yard stare.

"The very image of Kamijou Motherfucking TouMan crawling from the depths of his mind combined with his intoxication and sleepwalk…!" Tanin'iver was chewing on its claws.

Those ominous strings of words broke something in Kur. It was enough to short-circuit most of the network across the field.

"...Can't you prop up a false image to render him powerless?" It was less of a question and more pleading for some slim hope. "You don't need to go far as to twist reality, but merely input another mindset or personality should do."

"There's that force field guy, but we don't ever talk about him. I refuse to ever conjure that… _thing _in the realm of the living!" Despite all the trembling, Tanin'iver still had a code to follow.

The sound of physical trauma taking place in the distance was putting a number on the Blind Dragon's sanity.

"What is… that sound?" Kur hesitantly asked on the line.

"Oh, you know… just some regular dispensing of gender equality… yeah...regular..." Tanin'iver whimpered with each sound of bones breaking.

The sound of sighing came from the end of the line. Kur analyzed the situation immediately and tried to formulate a solution for their fellow dragon.

Meanwhile as the two's comedy routine was taking place, simultaneously was the unbiased justice and correctness in one's living being hammered down to the unliving puppets.

Speaking of unliving, the body and brain of Kamijou Touma had learned through physical contact the nature of his enemies. They did not possess any sort of sentience to them; like robots or underdeveloped AIs following a set of codes and instruction without agency. Not even their bodies felt remotely alive. Their movements weren't animated and lack the faint twitching when it comes to following the laws of gravity; they were utterly smooth, too smooth and rigid. No signs of breathing were also present thanks to the unmoving diaphragms not expanding and contrasting to push air.

Decisively, Touma drove his clenched right fist into one of them and ended their premature existence; Their bodies scattered into ethereal mist. No guilt was to be found in destroying puppets that had no hope of developing sentience.

"Uh oh… he's beginning to lose his restraints…" Tanin'iver muttered in acute horror.

"Strange how that doesn't sound nearly as scary when it's coming from your mouth." Meanwhile, Kur was being drenched by its own sweat metaphorically.

One sorry npc tried to barrel forward with a fist clenched and ready. Touma simply deflected that arm upwards and casted a mortal elbow blow to the abdomen. Finishing him off, Touma fired a heavy uppercut to the chin with his right fist, completely decimating the npc's ephemeral existence.

"I can see it! He no longer hesitates to use that right hand to destroy illusions!" Tanin'iver exclaimed in a half screech.

"I'll start visiting the nearest morgue to see if they have a casket that fits a ten-kilometer worm available." The eyes of Kur had their pupils displaced with a classic spinning loading logo.

Three other sinsacks ambushed the teenager. Touma countered their jabs, kicks, and lunges with masterful deflections of his wrists and knee. Subsequently, his raised knee bent and straightened into a kick to the abdomen. Putting to good use a narrow passage, Touma closed the distance and weaved around the sinsacks, dodging every narrow blow and intersecting formation. With each sinsack he passed, they all dispersed into the air with each painful thrust of his two fingers.

"I think one of his bones got dislocated from the pressure! And he popped it back in place by contracting his muscles alone!" Tanin'iver continued their commentary with metaphorical bloodshot eyes and a despairing feeling of dark premonitions.

Kur was too busy trying to reboot the system to even retort anymore.

Motes of ethereal lights filled the area to signal the end of the carnage. Standing in the center of them all was an imposing teenager in a dominating pose. With no targets anymore he stands there ready to accept any fool who dares to approach.

The sleeping body of Touma stepped back and leaned down a tree to return back to his nap. Peacefully sat there an innocent teenager who just dispatched a good 100 men in the span of three minutes.

"...Okay, I think the problem solved itself." Tanin'iver said, not losing an inch of their trepidation.

"Did the dragon shell burst open?" Kur gravely opened a set of ominous words.

After some extensive self-maintenance, everything was back online on their part. Thanks to the release of one of the eggs, new possibilities opened themselves. It was Kur's role to record and account for every possible outcome.

"Don't ever tempt something that dreadful!" Tanin'iver shouted furiously to drop the implication of something so implausible. "He just fell back to sleep is all!"

"Wonderful. But how do you plan to approach the unapproachable? So what if Kamijou-kun is in sleep mode?" Kur struck at the heart of the matter.

"I have no clue. Give me some time to relax and I'll figure _something_ to placate the situation." Tanin'iver answered, still feeling their nerves frozen stiff. "In the meantime, I need something to distract me as I recover from this major psychological blow."

"By all of my processing programs that is quite an underwhelming assessment." Kur expertly reported in a recovered even tone.

That elicited a sigh from the Blind dragon. "What about you? You said something about finally convening the players at the shrine." Smoothly deflected the Blind dragon.

"My initial method has met… a recent difficulty." Tanin'iver snickered, feeling plenty good on their part at bringing down another together in the fall, much to Kur's unamused face. "The Angel_Models will take some adjustments to return back to full capacity. In the meantime, I have an Octohedron_Model on standby ready for deployment."

"You stole that from Evangelion!"

That statement was professionally ignored.

"It is not the same, I merely took inspiration. You just so happen to equate everything with memes. The sight of alien technology usually leaves a crowd in a stupor."

"Pssh, whatever. You're not going to make a convincing argument for them to stand down looking like a flying alien artillery vehicle that screams geometrically." The bind dragon poked fun at the Mineral Dragon sardonically.

"Can't be much worse than taking hourly detours in an escort mission."

Tanin'iver blew a raspberry and clicked their claws together in a mock clap before resuming back to a serious expression. "You already look like horrible CGI used in an average budget class anime, so of course they'd be bewildered at such a jarring sight, since your army inherits that amorphous body of yours." Bluntly replied the dragon having the memory of the recent carnage leaving their mind.

"We don't live in a 2-dimensional world." Kur then mused the likely probability. "Not unless some Magic God decided for the good of the world to become an anime."

"Kur, what language do you think I'm using to speak with you?" Tanin'iver smirked.

"My hearing programs have picked up English. I advise you amend that to Japanese when we're in Japan and because everybody in Gensokyo speaks Japanese."

"Oh Kur." Tanin'iver shook its head like its partner was a child who didn't know any better. "I keep telling you that we live in a 2D world with high-quality animation being in a written format. Everybody already speaks Japanese by default since the 2D world is a non-existent anime by default too. The reason why you hear me speak English instead of Japanese is so the readers can actually understand us in a language they all comprehend."

"It's that nonsense you speak of yet again." Kur blankly scoffed. "That power of yours to tap into Humanity's collective unconscious has poisoned your mind with cognitive rubbish that don't exist unless they belong to a phase buried beneath."

Tanin'iver harrumphed but kept their tongue from repeating themselves.

"I'm fully aware of what they are and their meaning. There is no meaning in telling me when you are in knowledge of my power to manipulate _information_. Why do you cling to them so much and degrade your ability to such a level below me? You used to be my equal. In fact, your power before Humanity was conceived was that power to bend-"

"Sorry, but I'm not really into remembering the glory days for now." Interrupted Tanin'iver. It could see an illusionary pointed look by Kur.

"Hmph." Kur huffed, knowing full well the dragon did not wish for its fun to die yet, thus it would abide their request. "Then? What of that wish? Has it been fulfilled yet? I fail to sense a pulling force anymore, but it was a weak wish, so I don't plan to take any chances."

"Oh yeah. I was so scared earlier that I completely forget the sensation of fulfilling it." Tanin'iver whipped its head around to see thin arms trying to dig out the jelly of darkness.

Thin and frail arms tried to flail out of the darkness in clear panic by their desperation. A desperation familiar to clinging one's life at the very nearest edge towards an untimely death. The amorphous shape of a head jutted out of the darkness and only the mouth portion was clean of black tar clinging to it. Saliva and a desire to scream dripped all over yet a voice could not be released to no avail.

"Well? What are you waiting for? You had plenty of time to save her, so why hasn't it been done?"

Tanin'iver analyzed the youkai currently drowning within her own power in a neutral manner. "She's being broken down to her very core and turning back as part of a larger concept in nature. To load her up to a perfect previous state when Imagine Breaker is put into the equation can't be done from the outside. Right now, her previous locked powers are gushing out, but all that is doing is extending her suffering." Tanin'iver grimaced, watching the child-like body of Rumia experience a rapid growth spurt. Her hair which used to be short now lengthened into sheets of radiant gold.

"You can't be intending to-!"

"That's why I held off from doing something earlier. The only way would be to work from within as her temporary ability. However, that would mean my autonomy on the outside is limited quite hugely. Oh, the inconvenience." Tanin'iver exhaled a disgruntled sigh. The dragon blasted into mumbling complaints after complaints.

"Appreciate listening to your voice another time, hurry and amend the damage by Imagine Breaker. Egle's network providing her an anchor won't solve everything." Kur ordered stern but coolly.

"And who's going to escort Kamijou-kun? It's not like I have any rubber nen that can miraculously bring her back from the dead just by pumping her heart and lungs!" Tanin'iver barked irritably.

Kur tapped its tail to its forehead. "And you can't conjure some subordinate because they'll all die no matter the specs you input." Kur made a face full of intense concentration.

Tanin'iver did not agree with the sentiment. There _was_ a method to keeping a creation of its own running autonomous without the dangers to being destroyed by Imagine Breaker. The dragon could not commit to it since it would leave one of its claws occupied like one hand needing to hold a cup, rendering it to rely only on one claw for the entirely that was needed to hold the cup.

"Wish there were a way to save Rumia and take Kamijou-kun outta here. Maybe if I use Berserker Soul, I can find someone decent!" A classic Duel Disk was conjured and fitted perfectly on one claw. Tanin'iver tried to draw a card with the other, but accidentally pressed the eject button, throwing up the entire deck and scattering the cards to the ground. "Oh, screw this! Tonight's not my night!" Subsequently, the duel disk was thrown to the ground with a thud.

Kur shook its head in clear disappointment that no answer could be reached. "I'm moving on from here. The crowd looks ready to explode if I don't intervene and grab their attention."

"Wait, I got it." Tanin'iver cried out before Kur would disconnect from the line.

"Took you long enough." Kur merely acquiesced Tanin'iver's accomplishment.

Tanin'iver mused to itself and looked close to reaching enlightenment.

"I've been too narrow-minded. Looks like Kamijou Touma will save himself after all." If it had eyes, they'd be widening. "And I know the perfect someone to escort Kamijou-kun out of this shithole! She will ace this splendidly!"

"That's a concern I can check off from my compartment of headaches. Just be sure this someone knows what is up ahead." Kur congratulated the Blind Dragon in a roundabout way but warned it nonetheless to not screw up again.

"As for her." Tanin'iver turned its attention to the drowning Rumia. "I'm not so sure how to make a good impression for starts without coming off as off-putting. Koishi's case, I didn't need to reveal my face. If I assume a T-pose, I can practically assert dominance over her."

"Please do not make an ass of yourself, _again_." Kur felt an increasing urge to crease its crown.

"Give my regards to Tenryuu as I'll be the first to enter inside one of these bitches. We did a bet to see which of us will do it first, and if I'm not wrong about her character then she's too slow by groping some hills and not skipping the foreplay."

"Do not task me something so menial. It isn't inputted in my curriculum to care what you two frolic about." The harsh words were in contrast to the small smile creeping in Kur's face. It resumed a stoic expression when it noticed something out of place. "Her? A confirmation that Tenryuu has chosen to wear a human body finally."

Dragons in legend were commonly found with the ability to transform and anthropomorphize into a human body whether for the purpose to mingle with them or seek a mate from a completely different species from their own.

"Yeeup. Took her long enough. Better late than never. I too planned on assuming a human form, but this one error in construction has left me unfulfilled and dissatisfied. I just can't get the right ratio to make the fingers make a rubber sound effect."

Kur rolled its head from the Blind Dragon's procrastination. "A sole meaningless factor such as that holds that much impertinence?"

"If your fists can't produce a rubber sound effect whenever you clench the fingers to form a fist, what other purpose is there to live anymore? Besides that, Tenryuu's got the right idea in choosing a female form. We're in Gensokyo, so it's expected that we must wear the skin of fair maidens at this point."

If it had shoulders, Kur would shrug them non-committedly. Having to converse with Tanin'iver called for a mandatory consumption of an entire cup of aspirin afterwards.

"See you soon." Tanin'iver told the Mineral Dragon. Wordlessly, without missing an instance, the telepathic connection was disbanded, and Kur left the scene.

* * *

Peacefully and idyllic did Kamijou Touma slept. In peace with the tune of rain, his head bobbed up and down with every soft breath. Gently his nose sucked in air and funneled out to warm the cool atmosphere.

There was the sound of shoes clicking on the wet mud. Bizarrely, no mud or any grime was wedged or glued to the perfectly pristine shoes and sole. Droplets of rain spilled above softly to the edges of tree leaves and dipped down to meet the stranger's body. They touched the skin and slid down their soft skin and parted from it to the ground. Not a trace of moisture remained from where they traveled.

Whatever foreign object neared the skin of this individual, they would bounce away and refrained from tainting their beauty.

A thin body frame and a face androgynous to hide their true gender. They held a face scrunched up with contempt the more they neared the snoozing body of Touma. Grounding their feet a few feet away from him, the individual rummaged the pockets from their open white long-sleeved winter jacket with scrawls of white outlines all over it and animal fur at the base of the neck portion. They plucked a flip-phone and took a few pictures of the peaceful face of the sleeping Kamijou Touma. After they completed to fill their new album of nothing but Touma's sleeping expression they pocketed the phone and leveled a pointed look to him.

"The fuck is wrong with you being asleep in this shithole? Wake up, you shitty hero."

He didn't want to. He wanted to peacefully conclude his sleep all the way through. But time was not a luxury to Kamijou Touma, a fact he was intimately aware of. So, with great reluctance and a false sense of gusto, his eyelids fluttered open. He made a groan as his lethargic and strangely strained muscles began activity to welcome back to the realm of reality.

"Uurrrh...that crass way of speaking is so familiar…but that's not possible. Sure, I was talking about that guy earlier, but there's no way he'd actually find me here so quickly…" Touma muttered incoherently to himself which pissed off the stranger due to his audacity to ignore their greeting.

"Who the hell's been thinking about me? You better lift your ass off the floor before I do the lifting for you." A brash voice mixed in with the increasing disdain entered the ears of Touma.

"Okay, I'm not hearing things...or maybe I still am…" Touma rubbed the weariness from his eyes and decided for the better to address the person he suspected most likely to be someone he was familiar with. "Give me a moment to get up first, Accelerator."

His muscles gave off small cries as he strenuously lifted himself using the tree behind him as a substitute cane. Once he dusted himself, Touma leveled his still drowsy gaze to meet with a familiar face he deduced correctly.

Pale skin, long moppy white hair, and lazy red eyes that betrayed the intensity behind them. Yup. The face always in a small frown all belonged to the acquainted Accelerator, the ranked number one Level 5 of Academy City.

Confirming the actual present Accelerator, Touma devolved down with a long, drawled out sigh. He closed his eyes and comforted them, not willing to put effort into caring about how Accelerator would react to his disregarding attitude. "I have way too many questions and not enough energy… I don't even remember what I was doing. Err… I think I was in the middle of talking with Suika? No no, there was that homeless person, who were they? Or am I confusing them with… alright, I'm pretty sure I punched someone. Note to apologize to them in the future. Then there was this blond loli I was playing a game with? Everything's a blur, like what the actual hell happened for that to happen?"

An eye of Accelerator twitched in irritation as they watched Touma murmured to themselves with a cupped face without any consideration to acknowledge the person across from them.

Raising a hand, Accelerator snapped their fingers and a burst of displaced air knocked Touma out of his deep thoughts.

"Whoa! Calm down, Accelerator! I get it, you're really here!" Touma raised his hands defensively in slight fear of Accelerator. "Just, please lower that hand of yours?" Touma made a wry smile to detract Accelerator from using any further violence the former would very much like to avoid.

Accelerator huffed and relaxed their shoulders. They shoved their hands back to the winter jacket's pockets. "If you've got time to flap that mouth of yours on and on about useless crap, then you've got time to break out of this dump."

"O-oh… You came here to pick me all the way from Academy City. That's surprisingly generous coming from you that I didn't expect it." Touma chuckled and rubbed the back of his head good-naturedly

"... Don't misunderstand, alright. I didn't want to be here, so I want to go home too. Watching you run in circles around this place was annoying me to hell, I decided to pick you along the way." Accelerator turned their head to the side lightly to avoid meeting his eyes, a small pink dusting decorated their pale skin.

"Regardless, I'm grateful." Touma beamed a smile which Accelerator made a glance of. That's when Touma's eyes widened in recognition of a flower ornament embedded to the side of Accelerator's head due to the tilting position. "I didn't find you the type to be into that sort of thing. It makes you look cute." Touma slapped a palm to his mouth. "I-I don't mean it like it's something to be ashamed of! What you like has nothing to do with me and my opinion shouldn't matter in that regard!" He waved his arms wildly to defuse the effect of his blubbering in vain.

"...Tch, I knew I shouldn't have bothered to wear this damn thing." Accelerator grumbled in a deeper shade of red.

Touma was utterly gobsmacked. He didn't get assaulted when saying the first thing on his mind? Impossible! Maybe it had to do with interacting with the gender as him. Perhaps that's where the difference lies. His eyes scanned the individual in front to make sure he didn't make a mistake and confirm whether they were an imposter. When he looked to the open winter-jacket, he saw something unbelievable.

"Wh-why are you wearing a school uniform beneath your jacket!? Touma pointed to the uniform, incredulous of the sight before him. It was in a style similar to his school of white and blue tied with a red ribbon. "Are you into crossdressing!? W-wow, you learn something new every day haha…"

"Who the hell is crossdressing, you blind dumbass!? In fact, I recall you mumbling about me being some kinda dude! My face may be androgynous but isn't it a little insensitive to mistaken me for a guy after all this time!?"

"Bwuh!?"

"And don't call me Accelerator anymore! I thought we already got over this letting you call me by my real name!?"

"Since when did we talk about this!? I don't even remember you telling me your real name!"

"You're a total jackass you know! D-do you really want me to remind you of my name!? Is that what you wanted; you jerk!?" Accelerator(?) seethed with fury and an increasing blush.

"Look here, I can't be faulted for something that didn't happen that I was never even aware of in the first place! The Accelerator I knew always acted like some melodramatic guy with some sort of score to settle with me even though I rather he'd forget about it! And… is that a skirt you're wearing!? Touma nearly screeched at the top of his lungs when he witnessed the ever-distinct shape and wear of a blue skirt beneath Accelerator's(?) waist.

Accelerator huffed and placed their hands to their vacant hips. "Holy shit is your brain a complete mush when you're drunk. Never do something irresponsible like that again." They took a deep breath before continuing. "You better remember my name well, hero! It's Suzushina Yuriko!"

Touma's brain collapsed in trying to process what he just heard.

* * *

To skip sometime after the introduction of the aforementioned Suzushina Yuriko, hundreds of meters away from where the two used to stand was a twitching human-size egg clad in dense darkness wrapped in a spiral pattern. There were other colors like a deep blue and colorful violet mixed beneath the spirals, and motes of light like the cosmos.

When the spirals departed and gave way for the pure cosmic egg to pave the way of new life, cracks spread and arched their way to the little lights.

A black substance like blood gushed from the gaps, and the egg burst like a balloon. Everywhere was submerged into total darkness, and a vacuum force sucked all of it back to the center point.

A soft and lithe arm extended out from the center and opened its palm. From the earth, black magic circle was conjured and rising from the center was the red pommel of a sword. It rose and revealed its splendor as a giant 160cm claymore. The golden-clad guard and edges of the blade meshed well with the crimson the interior and the black between them. The hand then gripped the claymore and swung it to measure its power. A gale was produced from the casual swing, and several trees were bisected from the force.

When the dusk finally dissipated, there stood a lone woman holding the claymore in her small hands. Alluring long blond hair draped her back, and a doll-like face was decorated in striking crimson eyes and silky red lips. The woman wore a black corset that accentuated her ample bosom tucked beneath a long-sleeve white undershirt. Tied to her white collar was a red ribbon. The black skirt she wore had white frills around the edges below it. Her thighs were clothed with black stockings above her knees and garter straps attached. Finishing her attire were red dainty shoes.

There was not a woman like her in Gensokyo, but her face remarkably resembled someone else. What was lacking was a trademark red ofuda.

That child-like lesser youkai of dusk had a secret known to a few that could be counted on one hand. She used to have a form fitting in her prime where she stood at the top of the food chain. There were no anecdotes in the history of Gensokyo that lasted enough for preservation. There was a theory that no such anecdote was even attempted in the hopes to forget about it within the lost annals of time. Was the reason because of fear of her apocalyptic might? Or was there because there was no effective writing method to preserve it?

The answer was doubtlessly the former.

Her emergence boded disaster and famine. She wielded a power where boundaries could not reach her.

Her prime during the height of glory days was awe-inspiring and horror-inducing, but this… _this_ was different.

The reborn Great Youkai of the Dusk was melded together with another powerhouse. A power writhing and contained inside her right hand distorted the air.

The Great Youkai of the Dusk in ancient times would undoubtedly be evaluated under the modern Spell Card System with a rank of EX. This distorted youkai however was beyond even that.

An EX ranked youkai was blessed with a pillar of the universe.

An EX ranked youkai becoming EX.

DOUBLE EX Rumia.

* * *

[1]: Eglė: In Lithuanian fairy tales was the tale of Egle, Queen of Grass Serpents. there lived an old man and his wife. Together, they had twelve sons and three daughters. The youngest girl was named Eglė. On a warm summer evening, all three girls decided to go swimming. After bathing with her two sisters, Eglė discovered a serpent in the sleeve of her blouse.

The eldest girl grabbed Eglė's blouse, threw it down, and jumped on it, but the serpent did not leave. Turning to the youngest, Eglė, the serpent spoke to her in a man's voice, saying, "Eglė, promise to become my bride, and I will gladly come out."

In order to get him to leave her clothes, Eglė pledged herself to him, not understanding the possible consequences.

Three days later, thousands of serpents came for Eglė, but her relatives tricked them three times in a row. A goose, a sheep, and a cow were given instead of the girl, despite the warnings of a cuckoo. Finally, the enraged serpents returned and took Eglė with them to their master at the bottom of the sea.

Instead of seeing a serpent, Eglė met her bridegroom Žilvinas, a handsome man and the Serpent Prince. They married and bore four children, living happily.

Žilvinas was the Serpent King of Zaltys - symbols of fortune around a farmstead, possessor of knowledge centered around healing and herbs. It is also believed that eating a Zaltys could restore sight.

One day, Eglė wished to visit her home, but her husband would not allow her. In order to be allowed the visit, Eglė would be required to fulfill three impossible tasks: to spin a never-ending tuft of silk, wear down a pair of iron shoes, and bake a pie with no utensils. Upon advice from a sorceress, Eglė was able to complete these tasks. She and her children left Žilvinas to visit her home.

After meeting with Eglė and her children, her family wished to keep her rather than let her return to the sea. They plotted to kill Žilvinas. Eglė's brothers asked her sons to reveal the secret calling of Žilvinas, but they would not. Finally, one of Eglė's daughters disclosed it:

"Žilvinas, dear Žilvinas,

If alive - may the sea foam milk

If dead - may the sea foam blood..."

The twelve brothers then called Žilvinas out from the sea, and killed him with scythes. They kept the secret of their deed from Eglė. Worried, Eglė called her husband, but only foams of blood returned from the sea.

Discovering that her beloved husband was dead, Eglė turned herself and her children into trees. Her sons were turned into strong trees: oak, ash and birch; her daughter was turned into a common aspen, and Eglė was turned into a spruce.

**A/N: Yuriko and DOUBLE EX Rumia were planned from the very beginning, haha. I can't wait to write their major roles soon.**


	13. First Night IX

**A/N: Let's crank up the pacing, shall we?**

**Review Responses:**

**Sagnik Deb: Why, aren't you energetic?**

**Guest: Noted and fixed the previous chapter to be less obnoxious.**

**Guest: I don't remember ever being sober when writing this fic of mine.**

**tsun: I'm glad you've taken such an interest with my fic! I've also fixed the previous chapter as even I felt the memes to be grating once I reviewed it myself.**

"." - normal speech

_'.' _\- thoughts

_"." _\- Telepathy or other thought communications

**Chapter 9: First Night in Gensokyo IX**

* * *

Touma did not imagined himself waking up to be chaperoned by the genderbent version of Accelerator.

And that is why we must congratulate him.

At each other's side, the boy had no choice but to follow the girl. Who, utilising her refined ability, used echolocation to locate an exit at the eastern end of the forest.

"Soooo…You were a girl this whole time, Yuriko-chan…" Touma started the conversation awkwardly. It took a lot of willpower not to call her Accelerator. He had not grown accustomed to the change in formality quite yet.

"Mmhm." Suzushina hummed in response. The girl mellowed out after their reunion. "I didn't think you were dumb enough to fall asleep in some unknown forest in the middle of rural Japan."

"That's nothing compared to sleeping in a bathtub for five months." Touma said flatly.

Suzushina turned her head towards Touma with raised eyebrows.

"The hell!? Don't you at least have a functioning apartment like every other student in Academy City? You're certainly a bit abnormal if you're able to handle that sort of situation." Touma brushed off the rude comment.

"That's a long story better saved another day. I'm more interested in your circumstance and how you got into this mess."

She snorted.

"You're lucky I'm not going to ask the same of you. I could perfectly imagine you stepping into the middle of this shithole for some nonsensical and ridiculous reason, as usual." Suzushina whipped her head back to the front.

"Yeah, well that's how the song and dance usually goes for me." Touma shrugged his strained shoulders, grimacing from the pain his muscles were experiencing.

"My situation is probably nothing as spectacular as your entrance."

Touma coughed from that comment.

"I woke up in some sunflower field and met with an exotic woman with green hair. She wore plaid clothes and appeared to be some granny tending to her flower field." Suzushina recounted the meeting between her and the Master of Four Seasons.

A thoughtful expression lit up Touma's face.

"I bet she had a really dense onee-san aura…" Touma muttered quietly to himself.

This did not go unnoticed by Suzushina, who heard it with her enhanced hearing.

"That bitch was real good at hiding her bloodlust."

A sneer marred her face.

"I had my doubts, and they were proven the moment I stepped into the forest. I let it happen because I needed directions to the nearest human settlement. Bitch pulled a fast one on me and attacked me." Suzushina clicked her tongue in annoyance.

Touma hummed for a moment before cutting in. "Did she by chance… feel somewhat inhumane to you?"

He was fully confident of her victory being well aware of her power. Otherwise, she wouldn't be by his side right now.

"Obviously. When that fucker got her arm broken by my reflection, it healed back as simply as just popping the bone in place." Suzushina folded her arms. "Then, she tried using magic, like conjuring some pretty flowers to bloom as an attack." She shook her head amused.

He nodded in understanding.

"Yeah, that's Gensokyo for you. The land of youkai."

She eyed him with a raised brow.

"You're telling me those forgotten demons of Japan still exist? How come?"

A sigh escaped his lips. He sympathised with their mutual predicament.

"I'm in the dark as much as you are on this."

"So why are you so sure that these are youkai we are dealing with?"

Now, Touma wasn't one to be distrustful of every single individual he met. But when you've got an acquaintance's alter ego acting all chummy with you, it tends to raise a few red flags. Suzushina was obscenely suspicious from the get go. Still, withholding information wasn't a viable option considering the person to his side could manhandle him until sunrise. Besides, sharing information will no doubt be mutually beneficial regardless of her intent. He just hoped the imposter would lower their guard, even for a little while.

"When I came to, I was in a rubble of junk and someone who appeared out of nowhere decided to help me settle in with this place. Rinnosuke-san didn't strike me as malicious, and he was kind enough to provide me the general outline of this place. Though he was a bit loose in the head."

Suzushina hummed in response, indicating for him to continue. It was her nature to take a stance of silence until she had enough information to contribute to the conversation.

"The big thing to know about Gensokyo is that youkai won't treat outsiders, namely humans, too kindly since the rules don't have much leeway in protecting us. I don't really need to go too deeply into what that means do I?"

Touma shuddered, feeling like he was naked, surrounded by predatory eyes watching him. Paranoia perhaps, but you can't be too careful in a lawless world.

"So that's how it is. No wonder a horde of trash tried to lunge at me and got mangled up for their trouble, the fools. What a pain in the ass." Suzushina scowled. "Those critters remind me of Qliphah."

Touma was reminded of his brief interaction with that bizarre, translucent demon that hung around Accelerator. Back when Hamazura, Accelerator, and himself were trading words in some restaurant back in Windsor. It was becoming difficult to discern whether Suzushina was the genuine Accelerator in his memories, especially when he isn't aware of the Level 5's interpersonal circle, so he couldn't disprove any of her words.

"Ah, yeah you could say that. I'm almost certain youkai are completely composed of supernatural elements. Guess I can't swing this hand of mine willy-nilly whenever I want this time." Touma's brows creased together in thought.

A faded memory came to him where Imagine Breaker failed to break apart some small bluenette girl. The pits of his stomach churned imagining the idea of touching another youkai with Imagine Breaker.

"Won't have to keep at those thoughts for long. We'll be reaching the human settlement soon, hopefully to have some questions answered. If you'd like some souvenirs before we depart, that'll be a good place to do so."

Touma lifted a finger to gesture for attention.

"Rinnosuke-san told me of a method to leave this place when we planned to go to the Hakurei Shrine near the human village. It's at the easternmost edge of Gensokyo's barrier."

"Hmph. Makes up for a lot of time searching a path."

Things flowed into a comfortable silence between the pair. They soaked up time for themselves to continue the discussion on another pressing matter.

Suzushina noticed the male's distrusting stance. His eyes glanced back at her sporadically, his fingers twitched occasionally and the constant distance at arms-length kept between them seemed to bother him. She looked forward again to hide her frown.

To distract herself, she decided to test something and pulled out her cellphone.

The action visibly startled Touma, deepening her frown from his tactless reflex.

"I'm just checking if there's any service around these parts." She spat those words at him, hoping to ease his nerves and quell her mild annoyance at his actions.

"No need. I tried it earlier with mine, didn't work… Wait, where is my phone?" Touma scrambled to his person and did an item check. He slowly lost his composure when the usual presence of a rectangular plastic item was nowhere to be found. "Ehehehe… Yuriko-chan, you don't think it's any trouble for us to turn back. I may or may not have displaced my phone." He smiled wry at her, pleading with his eyes.

They came to a stop now that the male member decided it was a good time to have their priorities screwed.

"Look, dumbass. We're almost near the human settlement." She gave him a pointed look, which he squirmed under. "Once we get out of this shithole, we can go back to Academy City and buy you a new one."

He tilted his head cutely.

"Together? Like a date?"

Suzushina flushed pink and turned her head away from him with an annoyed expression.

"Can you not insinuate disgusting shit from some harmless gesture!? We aren't wasting more time to look for a cheap device you can easily replace! And that is final!"

The harmless spiky-haired boy grew indignant in opposition.

"It's not something to be replaced so easily! Do you not realize how difficult it is for a normal high school boy living in poverty like me to find the money for another one!?"

That comment somehow elicited something from Suzushina's mind.

_"Not this shit again...There he goes calling himself a normal high school boy… I'm stuck over here with miss depressing, and Yuriko gets to have all the fun…"_

The voice disappeared from Suzushina's memory as quickly as it appeared. She was left with a lingering discomfort but ignored it as if it were a benefit to her.

"Also, all my contacts were on that phone, including yours!"

"Hah? Did you think I would care about you treasuring my contact information in your personal phone? Get real." Suzushina smirked, even though she found a bit of joy in her heart knowing he had her number.

She and Touma were quick to notice that the rain above turned quiet all of a sudden. The former extended her senses towards the air and scanned above.

"The rain suddenly receded for some odd reason."

The idiot decided it was a good opportunity to cut in his earlier request.

"But isn't that good? That means the trek back to search for my phone won't be too much of a hassle for us."

Suzushina had her eyebrows arched at him. "Dude, If that phone holds so much importance for you, you can go back on your own." She half-heartedly told him, thinking he wasn't going to take the advice so serious.

She was proven wrong by him contemplating her words, and a bit of regret invaded her conscious.

"Hmm…" Touma mused her words in sincere consideration, which ticked her off. "Well, I can't exactly force you to follow me. For now, I guess this is where we depart huh?" Touma stated rather than questioned.

Truthfully, he still couldn't trust nor feel secure around Suzushina. He wasn't familiar with Gensokyo, so she was likely to be some apparition taking the form of someone he was familiar with to whittle his guard down and lay a trap down in advance. He felt such a tactic wasn't out of tune with his impression of Gensokyo. This person did a rather poor job since they got the gender wrong to begin with.

"Is my company that undesirable?" Suzushina frowned.

It was difficult to come up with a response. There was almost no uncertainty that she was on to him. He also wished for them to split apart so that he could get away from whatever potential danger that was going to crawl out from Suzushina.

Bearing Suzushina acknowledging his suspicions for her, Touma replied. "No, it's nothing like that. I feel a lot more safe with you by my side no doubt. I just feel certain there's no immediate danger in going back to look for my phone. Isn't it strange that we haven't been attacked by any youkai during the entire time we walked?"

Suzushina was about to reply to that with a comment about being lucky, but soon shut up knowing that this was the very unlucky Kamijou Touma in front of her. She tapped a foot to the ground and checked the layout of the forest a couple of square kilometers and met with no results indicating a living soul.

Seeing her grunt and nod in acceptance to his words, Touma crossed his arms. "Look, I'll make sure to catch up really soon. I can work on getting back here using our footprints now that the rain has stopped." Touma cupped his chin. "I also need a favor from you. Could I borrow your phone? Just so that I can have a light source on me and use the ringtone of my phone to guide me."

Suzushina and Touma gazed into each other for some time until she opened her mouth to rebuttal him.

"No. I'll make sure you don't get into more trouble then you've already been through. Knowing you, you'll probably be drafted in even more stupid shit without someone to steer that empty level 0 head of yours. It's literally been an entire week since that imposter stole your right hand."

Suzushina pulled out her flip phone and flung it at him which he caught. "That's why you aren't going to be kept away from my eyesight for the sake of my precious time."

"What? Don't you trust me?" Touma smiled graciously, feeling satisfied that things were moving towards his way somewhat. It unnerved him a little that she complied to give her phone even though he no longer had an excuse for it. "It's not like I'm some precious metal that needs to be locked in a treasure chest."

He flipped her phone open with a satisfying creak and peered into Suzushina's contact info. What was found left him even more confused. His supposed phone number inside perfectly matched his actual one. If Suzushina's words about watching him sleep were to be trusted, she could've snatched his phone and inputted the sequence of numbers in hers. He glanced at the other contacts on the phone to make sure he memorized them into being a non-issue in the future.

'Eh? Why is Komoe-sensei's number here? There's also Hamazura's here too. She also just admitted to knowing about everything that happened in Windsor recently, including that pink and emerald bastard…'

The deeper he dug, the more unimpressed he became.

Then, all of a sudden, he saw it.

"Alright, hold it." Touma stated with a flat tone. "Why do you have several photos of me sleeping on the spot where you found me?"

Touma shoved the screen into her face, showing one of the aforementioned photos he stumbled upon.

Impressively, Suzushina did not flinch from having such shameful contents exposed.

"My, my. First you wanted to get rid of me, and now you're breaching the privacy of my personal property? That's pretty dirty for a hero y'know." Suzushina ribbed at him with a smug smile.

Shivers ran up his arms. His eyes widened in horror.

"No, no matter what angle you look at it, isn't this really creepy!? And I'm the one having his personal privacy breached. I could sue you for this!" He exclaimed.

Meanwhile, Suzushina looked to be pretty proud of herself.

"Not like a level 0 such as you can get any leverage on a level 5 like me within court." She aimed her thumb at herself. "I simply had the great idea to embed your stupid face on my door, and whenever I wake up, I would get a good cackle out of looking at it."

Touma gasped. The normally passive boy was willing to protest aggressively at the felony.

"This is pure tyranny! W-Where is the justice!? De-delete this! I'm going to delete this right now!" Touma stumbled in his words.

"Let's not waste anymore time and get to it." Suzushina stated as she strode forward and snatched her phone back, turning on her heel, and departing without letting Touma compose himself.

"A-ah! Wait! Don't leave me behind!" Touma trotted over to keep up with her pace, having already forgotten the crime committed against him.

The pair resumed their rather strange and undefined relationship. Neither of them wanted to be responsible enough to break the ice surrounding their unspoken partnership.

Their conflicted hearts were ignored in favor of maintaining this flawed rapport. They would trade intermittent small talk to stave off the uncomfortable silence.

"So...what have you been up to after coming back to Academy City?"

Suzushina feigned interest.

"Hoh? What, you wanna be friends or some shit now? Keep in mind that no matter how much you butter me up, I'm not going to play favorites with my students." The suspicious girl wore a smug look.

Much to the confusion of the Imagine Breaker.

"I don't understand? You teach? Never really thought a student would be allowed such a position in the world of adults in Academy City."

Suzushina placed a hand to her neck and cracked it.

"It's only a step towards attaining my true goal. It's a precarious world and the one asset that can ensure your survival in it is power. The higher you go up the ladder, the more secure you are."

Touma didn't fully agree to such a viewpoint and was ready to point it out.

"But power itself isn't enough to sustain your life in such a world. You've got something worth fighting for, right?" He cast a worried glance at her. "And I imagine with more power at your disposal, more enemies will crawl up from under the shadow it casts."

She looked none too worried about potential enemies.

"Naturally. However." Suzushina grinned in a fitting ferocity belonging only to her. "Who the hell do you think I am? I'm the number one ranked Level 5."

"Hahahaha." The spiky-haired boy's chuckle seemed to lighten the mood in the forest ever so faintly, the same way a match somberly brightens when lit. "Then, you have more people important to you other than the tiny Misaka sister, right?"

Suzushina looked thoughtful and a funny thought popped to mind.

"Yeah, you." She proclaimed.

Eyes shot up from those two daring words.

"Eh!?" He wasn't sure if he heard correctly.

"Yeah, you?"

A relieved sigh was his only response.

"Oh, you were just asking me." The dense Kamijou Touma looked forward again just in time to miss Susushina lifting her collar to hide her flushed face behind the fur.

_"Learn to keep your oscillating ovaries in check, Yuriko! And you're taking him in the wrong direction! WHY WON'T YOU LISTEN TO ME!?"_

There was an unnoticed and camouflaged mop of green hair somewhere nearby watching them.

"People that are important to me, huh…" Touma trailed off somberly with his hands in his pocket. A certain constriction lumped his parched throat for some reason.

Suzushina found this attitude to be somewhat out of place from him.

"The guy who yaps about the corniest crap with a straight face all the time is now embarrassed when it comes to his most important people. Unexpected." Suzushina snidely giggled.

Touma directed one pointed look to the amused girl before composing himself.

"I...I'm unsure if I even have the right to be the one to protect them, not only after Windsor, but the countless other times I've brought them pain."

She sighed in an exasperated manner.

"I can already tell where this is going. Next, you're going to beat yourself up for all of those failures, and because the person who hurt them had your face, so it was no different from you doing it." Suzushina sarcastically remarked.

She had a point, and Touma was aware of it himself.

"True, but that's not the point I was getting at." He tried to argue.

"Then what exactly were you going to say?" She frowned, clearly disappointed about his misguided self-worth.

To his credit, Touma did not avert his gaze from her even if it was a sensitive topic to him - something she recognized from their interactions.

"During that whole debacle between me and my other, a tragedy was brought upon by me. Even so, I didn't give a crap about who was in the wrong and simply finished the battle so I could assert my position and returned to my life with those who are important to me."

A wistful look plastered his face that could be openly read by anyone. It might have been due to how abrupt it was for him to wake up feeling pain all over his body and a hangup in his head. Otherwise, Touma would not have been so ready to open his heart the slightest bit under normal circumstances.

"So what?" Suzushina interjected. Her abrupt comment caused the two to linger their gazes to each other. "Quit making that mopey face of yours, it's pissing me off. So you've done something horrible to them and are in doubt about your position in their world. Stop being foolish and return to them with your head held high. I mean, who the hell are you telling this to? Have you forgotten what I've done? I killed over 10,000 sisters and yet I'm acting as their guardian. If someone as low as me can find a place that I don't deserve, then you have even less of a good reason to doubt yours."

There was no way the hero in her eyes was going to fall down the wrong path under her sight as her discontent expression told.

Such a response had Touma smiling wryly. "Normally, this sort of thing is something I usually wouldn't dwell on much. I came back and made an apology, but...that other me had said something I couldn't ignore. Lately, I've been too complacent, I haven't been up to speed on many things, nor have I followed up on the scattered treasures that slipped from my grasp." Touma looked down to his hand and softly clenched it. "I would go back to my normal life and unintentionally forget the larger battle that still clouded my life, all so I could enjoy the small amount of peace I worked so hard to obtain."

Suzushina kept quiet to perceive the conflicting emotions on his face.

"So you're worried about how you could've done things better? That you could've saved everyone had you chose to do things more wisely? That, if you worked harder and chased after all of your problems, things would be more relaxing for you?" She placed a hand to her neck and cracked it. "Stop trying to be a saint with a chronic yes-man symptom. I know at least that much that you aren't a lowlife who'd look down on the people he couldn't save."

Touma quietly shook his head. Slowly, but surely he felt comfort in hearing her words.

"I'm not worried about saving everyone or achieving world peace. I know that no matter what, being able to save even one life that could've been lost among the dozens in danger is still something worth celebrating. It just feels like...like I've forgotten something really important." Touma had his eyes closed in thought. "And a thought lingered in my mind after Windsor...what if it isn't over? If Windsor was nothing but an opening act and that this was the aftermath." The idea of the continuation of Windsor painted a distraught image in his head.

"You're suggesting that the reason why you're here is to continue whatever the hell happened in Windsor? Under what grounds are you talking here? If you don't have a firm base to speak of, then that's no different from baseless paranoia."

He opened his eyes, ready to disclose a part of his current situation.

"My right hand was detached from me when I got here. And now there are ten dragons on the loose as a result of that." Touma's clenched fist tightened to the point his knuckles were turning white . "I don't have many connections in this place, and I only have this to rely on." He indicated with his raised arm.

But Suzushina didn't bat an eye to this.

"If that's all you have, then that's all you need." This was supplemented by an unconcerned shrug.

A trance-like stare was all that Touma could respond with. After a few moments, a tiny smile crawled to his face, as he shook his head softly.

"Heh...haha...hahahah!" What began as a few chuckles turned into pure joyous laughter and gratitude. He wiped an eye of its tears before continuing. "I'm really blessed aren't I? After I lost Imagine Breaker, I couldn't do anything by myself or even knew where to go. If it wasn't for my pillar of support, I don't think my world would still remain." Unconsciously, his hand clasped his shoulder like there was someone meant to be. "And...I feel the exact same now."

Their steps halted again, only this time, Touma beamed with a huge smile plastered on his face.

"That's why, I want to thank you, Yuriko-chan. For simply being here."

She hid her embarrassment rather well for the perceptive Touma to not notice. Scratch that, it was his own fault.

"Sheesh, leave out the mushy speeches after we get back home. Don't get too familiar with me. And don't get too ahead of yourself."

Suzushina returned that smile with a grin. And in silent agreement, the two slowly resumed their trek with positive improvements to their dynamic. It took them several minutes to find the spot where Suzushina found him.

After a moment of scouring the place for his phone, they didn't find anything.

"Looks like it's not around here." Touma said in disappointment.

He paced around the area to find the same several marks around the area indicating an outbreak of a huge fight. Skid marks stained the soil, knuckle imprints were left on wood, trees were knocked over, naked shrubberies were dotted about, and lastly splinters on a certain tree trunk where someone seemingly, crudely ripped it apart with their bare hands.

He did not wish to meet whoever did that.

"What a waste of time." Suzushina grumbled with a huff. Even so, she continued to assist the search by pressing the call button to elicit a return signal. With her ability she manipulated the air to send out specific soundwaves which functioned as a sonar, so it became possible to detect sounds and objects from a long distance.

"You got anything?" Called Touma a few feet from her.

"Let me concentrate in peace." She demanded for a silence.

Taking his eyes off her, Touma stood still to recollect his thoughts. He began to dive within his mind after covering the right side of his face with his hand.

_'Green...blue...and blonde. If I'm guessing correctly, green isn't in much danger since I was careful to not touch her. Blue wasn't very bright when she tried to catch Imagine Breaker, but she wasn't affected by it. That only leaves…'_

"Hey, Hero, I picked up a signal." Suzushina's sharp words cut the air.

Touma was forced out from his thoughts thanks to her call.

"Did you find where my phone i-?" He asked before his voice hitched.

What stopped him from finishing was the solemn expression and agitated body posture of Suzushina entering his peripheral vision when he turned.

"More than that. It's over the distance a little more than a kilometer away. You should get your guard up instead." A grave warning alerted Touma on edge.

He focused all his awareness away from the search and straightened his body to be ready for anything.

"What's the situation?" Touma hardened his features.

"There's an oddity closing in on us, and fast. I'm sure they noticed us too. Look." Suzushina gestured with her eyes directed to the side.

Touma followed her line of sight and held his breath.

Silence prevailed around the two.

Touma clenched his fists.

Suzushina narrowed her eyes.

The former listened to the rising wind and watched the leaves rustle faintly.

The latter dug her left foot deeper into the ground.

A powerful presence emerged from the darkness. Its entrance was neither abrupt nor perfect. It was no different from expecting someone to open the door when your eyes was bored at it.

What exactly was it that graced their eyes?

She was beautiful, yet her aura was dreadful - so baleful.

Suspended in the air was a pale body, that didn't look any older than ten, covered in the colors of noble blood red. She belonged to the realm of the inhumane solely thanks to the notice of those crystals in the colors of the rainbow hanging limp from the two branch-like limbs outstretched from her back. The darkness complimented her and seemed to desperately want to embrace the light that was her blonde hair tied into a sidetail to her left beneath the mob cap.

An unreadable expression was stationed on her pale face as she watched the agitated duo reflected on her crimson, vertical-slitted eyes. The spiky-haired boy made a confused face, but expressed a torn look of remorse. The albino girl was agitated in her guarded and unfriendly face, snarling at the blonde girl in the air.

"A-...ah…"

"Psh…!"

_"Tch! So that's who the neophyte is…!"_

Those crimson eyes looked to be in conflict on who to commit their full attention to, swerving back and forth between them.

"Y-you're…!"

The blonde girl proceeded in her own pace, ignoring the desperate voice of Touma. She lifted a palm and an eye rolled out of her mob cap to answer. The eye danced under her touch and laid still. She trembled in vigor eagerness when it seemed to twitch to the left, towards the spiky-haired boy.

"Heh...I've been really patient for a while." A smile broke on her face. Her soft and child-like voice was deceptively innocent, since it entered the pair's ears like sandpaper.

Suzushina's existence seemed to no longer register to the blonde girl. She dropped down to ground level gracefully and lifted her skirt for a small bow only for Touma.

She rose. The dainty pale hands were tucked behind her. Slowly did her body approach Touma in small even step. All the while was her smile still in place and her eyes expressed exaltation.

Her legs halted a few paces from him so that she could lean forward and tilt her head cutely to the left, looking up to address him.

"You're Kamijou Touma." Her words were more of a statement than a question. That thrill behind it spoke of how much she wanted to meet him up close.

The optimistic side of Touma wished that no harm had befallen his most likely victim for whatever reason his drunken stupor thought appropriate. However, his cynical side leaned towards the possibility of her craving revenge.

"Are you okay?" Touma broke the unbreachable wall between them in an instant with his question full of concern.

"Hmm?" The blonde girl frowned in confusion. She did not expect such genuine concern.

"I didn't hurt you, did I?" He pushed further. His mind swam under the notion that she was the one whose body was touched by Imagine Breaker in his hazy memory.

She made an 'o' face like a child having their curiosity piqued.

"You were expecting me? I'm so happy!" She stood upright, clapped her hands together to her mouth, and giggled melodically. They did not have the expected effect one might think with how ominous they sound. "It's like someone had a hand in our meeting."

Chills ran up the spine from those dangerous words. The blonde girl in noble blood red clasped her fingers. Her upper body swayed side to side with her hip following in reverse. She was clearly happy from their meeting if that face-splitting, bright smile and starry eyes were any indication.

There was something distorted about her that he couldn't quite put it to tongue. But that could be left alone for now.

"What is your name?" Touma asked in a polite tone.

"Flandre! Flandre Scarlet! Don't forget it, okay!?" The named Flandre eagerly identified herself.

He softly said to her. "You're not feeling any pain, are you? I was worried that-"

That was clearly the wrong decision when he tried to take a step towards Flandre with an outstretched hand. She assumed a cowering position with her hands pulling down her mob cap.

"Hii! Please don't be angry with me!" She cried as she shed motes of tears at the edge of her eye. The graceful image was lost within that crouching figure writhing in fear.

Touma was utterly flabbergasted by her reaction. The guilt in his heart spiked and threatened to tear itself out.

"You made a little girl cry, you heartless bastard." Suzushina dryly scolded, a disdained expression draped her face.

"H-hey! I'll make sure to fix this!" Touma cried indignantly at her.

He turned forward to Flandre again before consoling her. "Hey, I'm not gonna get angry at you or anything." He tried to quell her down with a friendly smile.

"Y-you won't? *sniff* That's good, I was really worried…" Wiping the tears away, Flandre calmed down to gaze into his eyes.

Hers were a lustrous crimson red that couldn't be described as a ruby or garnet while Touma's were a common blue you can find gazing at the ocean.

"Yeah, don't worry about it. I only have myself to blame." A sad smile followed his face.

Flandre had a finger to her tilted chin. "What do you mean?"

"I was expecting the worst should my Imagine Breaker destroyed you…" He belatedly answered when staring at his raised hand.

"I don't really get it, but you feel guilt, don't you?" Flandre rubbed her forearm behind her back.

"...Yeah." Touma's face fell into a neutral expression with his eyes softening.

Flandre mulled over into searching for a way to relieve the tension in the person she wanted to meet the most. A face of realization crossed her countenance.

"There's a way you can make it up to me." That mysterious suggestion left him spellbound. An unknown charm laced her voice.

"And what would that be?"

After hearing his confirmation, a broad smile adorned the pale face of Flandre. It was a face of pure innocence.

Innocence that bordered on the deranged.

No words were uttered when an arm was held against the sky.

"Be my toy." She declared in the calmest voice imaginable. The world seemed to drop several degrees and hell would follow the same by that absolute decree.

Fire. An oversized sword doused in flames erupted from her palms. The thicket singed from the heat radiated by the pillar.

"Tch!" Touma saw that a mile away. He readied his hand to crush it.

In an instant, the slim arm brought down the roaring Lavatein. A loud shockwave vibrated in all directions. Dust picked up everywhere from the thunderous impact.

"Huh? Where'd he go?" Flandre muttered in an emotionless tone.

This deterrent of dust meant nothing to her vampiric eyes. Where the ground the spiky-haired boy used to occupy was nothing but a crater in the shape of her sword.

It was her own fault for forgetting the other person in the area.

From a distance…

"Woah!" Touma gave a surprised cry.

"Hold still and cling on tight." Suzushina assured Touma.

The panicked voice of Touma was due to the sudden force of air resistance pressing his face. His position brought shame to his masculinity.

Currently, he was being princess carried by Suzushina.

"Not that tightly I meant!" Suzushina scowled.

Within the arms of Suzushina, the spiky-haired boy was careful to not touch her with Imagine Breaker, less he disrupted their flight. So he pocketed the hand in his pocket with his left arm stationed over her shoulders. The result was for him to dig deeper into the chest of his savior.

"That smooth skin! This unexpected softness…!"

Suzushina gave a surprised yelp.

"Try anything funny and I'll grind your face to the ground like a whetstone!" She warned with a face full of resentment.

"It's not me who's doing it! Why are your arms pulling me closer to you!?" Touma was quick to rebuff her threat.

"You're delusional! Who the hell would want to get closer to your smelly ass!?" She vehemently denied the accusation.

"Then don't grip my back and thigh so hard!" He told her.

"It's not like I want to know the shape of your dorsal fin muscles or the fat in your thighs! Your fucking skinny, malnourished, skeleton ass body might slip!" She exploded into crying a stream of insults towards him. She did enjoy the close proximity however.

"Don't speak with that increasing blush on your face!" He pointed out.

"Why the hell aren't you blushing!?" She redirected the question back at him to calm her beating heart.

"This isn't my first time!" He proclaimed.

"What was that!?" Suzushina gnawed her teeth.

Her words fell on deaf ears.

Their flight covered enough distance for Touma to not see Flandre behind Suzushina. She was considerate enough to maintain an appropriate speed that wouldn't bear a burden to Touma's body that couldn't ignore G-force and air resistance.

"That girl, I don't know if that was my fault or not…" Touma quietly muttered to himself, still feeling mildly concerned about the girl they ditched.

"Mind telling me what the hell that was about? That brat was clearly mentally ill from my perspective." Suzushina said. "Just what was your involvement with her?"

Touma paused for a moment.

"...My Imagine Breaker. My memory is still hazy, but I do recall forcing my right hand on some lock of blonde hair."

"Oh I'm so impressed by your deductive skills to perceive that she was blonde." Suzushina quipped sarcastically, which earned her a glare from Touma. Her face turned serious again to take back the conversation back on track. "Her mind is destabilized and the only way to cope for her is to hound your ass." That was the simple deduction she gathered.

"No, I don't think she's the one." He rejected the notion.

"Ah? She scowled in annoyance.

"I'm still trying to piece things together, but the girl I intentionally hurt was plain compared to Flandre-chan. Their youkai heritage aside, she was utterly unremarkable right down to her toes. And Flandre-chan exudes a regal aura, don't you think?"

Suzushina weaved across the hazardous trees, taking extra care not to disturb the boy in her arms.

"Then why the hell did she react like that? She almost pissed her panties from the thought of you being angry with her." Suzushina deduced that this matter was not as simple as it first seemed.

"I'm not sure. Although, I'm certain I haven't integrated myself to this place so soon that people know me well enough. Trying to wrap my head around the logic that's at play here in Gensokyo won't get me anywhere without a lead."

Sounds of abrupt carnage could be heard from behind them. Flandre pieced together what happened and is tailing them mad.

The forest ruptured at the hands of multiple lasers sweeping the domain for what was stolen. More scars piled up and the evergreen Forest of Magic was losing more of its splendour.

"RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!"

What came next was a high-pitched scream which blasted massive shockwaves, leaving nearby groves rattling for dear life.

"Yuriko-chan, whatever happens, under no circumstances should you leave me behind with her." Touma pleaded with a disturbed expression.

"So you can come up with great ideas sometimes. It's only you she wants, so I'll just drop you off and be on my way. You better treat her well the same way she would treat you." Suzushina smiled as she winked at him, scaring him even further by relaxing her grip on him.

"Stop! This isn't how you should treat people in danger! My savior is too sadistic!" Touma hurried and clutched onto Suzushina with a deathly grip.

This only stimulated Suzushina even further in bliss.

_"It's like Niagra Falls with this horny bitch. Enjoy the slapstick later, crosses coming at you 7 and 5 o'clock from behind!"_

Almost as if she possessed a sixth sense, Suzushina dropped in elevation to avoid buzzing crosses made up of bright mana.

A whistle escaped her lips. "I can feel the heat of her seething from behind on my skin."

"No time to relax! She is literally right behind us!" Touma reported with anxiety in his voice.

The lithe form of Flandre's was barely a few tens of meters apart from them. Slowly, she was gaining as the distance acting as their lifeline was being stripped. Her speed was marginally faster than Suzushina's as she had to compensate for the safety of the passenger in her arms.

Flandre's cold, still body hovered in the air like a doll that moved the way someone were to grip her icon on the desktop with their mouse and dragged her. In short, it was fucking creepy.

"She's just staring at us with a really lifeless look in her eye!" Touma almost wanted to screech from meeting her gaze.

Suzushina ignored his concerns. Funnels of wind were constructed behind her as they whipped furiously towards Flandre.

They cut through the air to match with the wild barrage of bullets employed by the vampire. The funnels clashed with the bullets, dispersing each other, but recovering their numbers without end. Moreover, Flandre surrounded herself in smoke and transformed into a bat to weave through the unending battlefield with precision in her tiny form.

"Shapeshifting!? And a bat no less… Could she be a vampire!?" Touma was thoroughly shocked by the revelation, but not enough to give him any lasting despair with the current situation.

"Vampire, huh? But is she as strong and immortal as one from the myths?" Suzushina mused to herself. Then her eyes flashed with inspiration. "I just may have an idea on how to get rid of this stupid brat."

"That sounds really assuring! So please don't make throwing me at her the priority!" Touma reminded her.

Flandre reverted back to her normal form after bypassing every wind funnel.

"Oh no, I'm still gonna throw you, but rest assured it's not at her. Right here, right now." That was the only warning she was going to give to him.

Expectedly, Touma paled and his limbs turned a bit numb.

He tried to protest as he did his best to squirm against Susuzhina shifting him over her shoulders to launch him without taking his right hand out.

"No don-HRERGH!?"

Suzushina unceremoniously threw Touma forward into the free air. A flicker of surprise sparked on Flandre's face. Her eyes traced at Touma's flying figure.

As Flandre continued to move with her eyes dead set on Touma, Suzushina turned around and lengthened an arm out.

"It's late outside. Go to sleep, shitty brat." Suzushina flicked a finger at Flandre, who was moving like a bullet, on her forehead.

It felt like an unstoppable wall had pounded against Flandre. All of her movement was restricted, and she was repelled back with a yelp. Her limbs flew detachedly and was sent hundreds of miles away, caving inside the earth where her body could no longer be seen.

"Peh." Suzushina spat. "That didn't work as intended. Her body's a bit more durable than expected from the other garbage I decommissioned. She'll wake up soon."

That tactic only worked because the vampire's attention was solely taken away from the surprise attack. She has grown a bit wiser to not underestimate the white monster, less she experienced it again.

In an instant, Suzushina burst into motion, leaving a trail of sonic booms behind. She located Touma spinning in the air frantically for support which just happened to be her.

The normal highschool boy now laid within the arms of a white maiden yet again.

"For a tough guy like you, being a bit venturous in the air should prove no problem, am I wrong?" Suzushina gifted her princess another sardonic grin.

"With how many times I've fallen from immense heights, yeah, no problem." Touma concluded with a quiet, non-committal answer. He tried his best to refrain from hurling with a queasy expression.

"That shitty brat looked down on me too much. She's got no actual experience in a real fight." She evaluated the inexperienced vampire's combat potential on the actual field. Suzushina saw a bit of how she began in Flandre. "She's not gonna give up, I'll tell you that much."

"How do you propose we lose her? From the way she held that eye in her hand, she can track us with it, I presume." Touma recovered from his unease, feeling himself becoming more comfortable lying in Suzushina's arm by the second.

"Her speed is a real pain in the ass. We'll never lose her if we keep acting as the mouse." Suzushina looked to the direction from she embedded Flandre under the ground.

Touma cupped his chin in thought.

"You didn't try knocking her out? I'm sure with her being a youkai, you can extend to be a bit more forceful."

"I redirected her entire body movement and added a bit from my own to drive her across the entire damn forest. You'd think I'd take any chance from how much danger she was emitting? She's highly resilient enough to adapt to the sudden change in direction and fix herself to a more accommodating form to reduce the distance between us." Suzushina regarded the threat level of the vampire to be much higher than expected. She was still confident that the vampire was but a mere troublesome nuisance. Alas, she was proven wrong before. Thus, the wise decision here is to be cautious.

"For now, we need to keep on moving." Touma finished grimly.

The pair remained in the air as there was no point in hiding within the thicket. They bypassed from the location where Flandre was locked in the earth.

"I'm picking up readings from her waking up. She'll be coming at us again soon." Suzushina reported neutrally.

Touma felt bad about her within good reason. He knew that an emotional disorder such as hers stemmed from something deeper than just him. He had no idea why she was so fixated on him, though. As he could recall from the psychology classes he attended, people like her having trouble with interacting with others and overlapped supposed friends with objects were developed from a number of ways. One of which would be an unhealthy, extended time of isolation.

"There has to be a way to placate her temper and be at least friendly with each other." Touma spoke with regret. His eyes were downcast as his hair obscured them from the billowing wind.

"Always the optimist, aren't you?" Suzushina did not looked down on him with the usual sarcasm and feistiness.

"I don't know how old she supposedly is, but I'm pretty confident at my shots at calming her down. Flandre-chan's got a child's mentality from the way she's acted, so I've got a lot of options at befriending her."

"And what? You think I wouldn't be as good at befriending kids like her?" Suzushina feigned being offended. She bared a cross look at him.

Touma was confused by how she associated his ability to befriend kids and comparing it with her inability to do the same.

"I know from witnessing how you interacted with Flandre-chan. Not by my perception of you." He deadpanned at her with a dull expression.

Suzushina shrugged. "It was a joke."

"... You can do jokes?" Touma was wide-eyed in surprise.

_"There are better opportunities to level up your Social Link with Kamijou. I'm handing you the coordinates to the Hakurei Shrine. You know exactly what your supposed to do with this."_

Once again, Suzushina was left with information she was not aware of until now. The voice too disappeared from the forefront of her mind as did her interest in questioning it.

Suzushina pulled her eyes away from the open-mouthed Touma to a more pressing matter. From her sights was the direction of the Hakurei Shrine. And within the far distance where things blurred for her was an enormous object defying gravity.

Suzushina had her eyes wide open. "...Hey, hero. What the hell do you reckon that is?" She inclined her head at him to gesture for him to look at where she was looking again.

"...What...is that?" Touma was equally in shock from the sight.

It could only be described as a giant, kilometer high, polymorphic, prismatic octahedron. Witnessed from behind it were light showers. The octahedron responded to the wave of bullets by morphing into a cube visible within another cube. It seemed to be its defense form as the bullets were repelled back. Some were even thrown over it, scattering the area with scars.

A scream burst from nowhere, and the cube within a cube morphed once again into a kite. Its offensive form presumably.

"Tell me, hero." Suzushina grabbed Touma's attention. "What was your original purpose by getting to that shrine?" She looked down to meet his eye. "If it's Windsor all over again, then you're no coward by running back home when you've got a score to settle. You wanted to be there, hypothetically, to rally some manpower just like with me and that dirty level 0, heh?"

Touma stared at her eyes for a long time. He finally responded back with a firm nod.

And she grinned back at him.

"Then that's settled. I'm getting you there no matter what - because this is your fight to see through. You'll have to settle with reaching the shrine alone. I'm sticking around so I can discipline the stupid brat." Suzushina sported a confident look, so as to soothe his worries. It was to communicate to him her determination - that she'll succeed as the distraction.

Touma could only accept her resolve with silent respect. The two had silently determined their roles to achieve.

"And... I don't care if you don't take my input to heart, but I know that you wouldn't hurt someone without good reason, so don't worry too much, okay?" Suzushina asked him firmly with the only explicit, worried expression she ever showed him thus far.

"...Thanks, Yuriko-chan."

Touma withdrawn his comber tone to address a new problem.

"But this new plan of yours has a problem. I could easily get lost in this forest." Touma pointed out just one of the many flaws in their new plan.

"Heeeh." Suzushina let out an amused sound by his concern. What he should be really feeling is apprehension. "That's why we're going to cut time for you. Tell me, what do you think is the fastest method and getting across this shithole of a forest?"

Touma did not like that innocent grin on Suzushina. Not one bit.

"Ha-haha. Y-You're joking, right?" Touma nervously said. "You're not going to shift me over your head and throw me towards the shrine like you're trying to score a three-point field goal, r-right?" His unease grew, and his entire body shivered. "This Kamijou-san has already experienced enough turbulence for one night! One is enough! No more!"

His objections fell on deaf ears for the umpteenth time as of tonight. Suzushina beamed at him with a smile - impressed that he guessed correctly for once.

In perfect motion, Suzushina shifted Touma over her head as preparation to throw him over the forest and score a three-point field goal.

"Think this through carefully, Yuriko-chan! What the hell am I supposed to do with that octahedron!?" Touma cried his last before he was to be separated from Suzushina.

"Punch it." She said. "Have some more guts in you, hero. Who doesn't love witnessing a Superman raining down from the heavens as an entrance?"

"Guts my ass! That character traits doesn't belong to youuuaaaaAAAAAAHHHHH!"

_"YES! YES!"_

Suzushina launched him away like a cannon. His body was being carried away by the wind as his screams grew distant.

She turned around to see the crimson figure of a vampire from a few distance away. "Time to quiet this mentally ill bitch who's gone past her curfew."

Flandre dashed in spurt to catch up to the growing distant Touma, only to be intercepted by Suzushina.

"Yo, you mentally ill bitch. I've come back to properly tuck you back to sleep." She greeted with venom in her voice and a nonchalant wave.

Flandre had a deathly glare that emitted thick killing intent. Her frown lowered to its utmost. It was a wonder how she could stay so calm with her whole body being so tense.

"Sorry, but from here this is as far as you go. Don't pay any attention to the singing whale in the sky, listen to me instead."

The vampire's ire seemed to never end the more she heard the mocking voice of Suzushina.

"Where is he?" Flandre's voice was so deathly quiet, it couldn't be perceived unless you could enhance your hearing.

"I think you're mistaken. There is no guy. Hell, there isn't any in this shithole. Tell me, why is that? Why is this place so rampant of women to begin with? Was this place created as someone's sick fantasy?"

"Where. Is. He?" Flandre reiterated. Her hollow eyes promised demise if she were to be ticked even from the slightest transgression.

"And what would you do with the guy anyways?" Suzushina dropped her personable persona.

Flandre raised her hands to her center. She looked down with a faraway look, and a maniac grin sliced her face. "No matter what I do, he won't break. He can't break. He is perfect. He is the perfect toy for me. No matter how much power I use, or how much of my anger is poured into him, he will never leave this world. He is the only one who can stay by me side. Someone gifted him to me. They guided me to him. He is mine. I've been waiting for a long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long," Her breathing grew rapid, and her mantra expedited her spiking emotions, "long time! I can finally feel alive again! Living life alone is unbearable! Everything just dies and dies beneath me. There is nobody to share my hopes, my anger, my joy. Nobody who can listen to me without feeling fear. But as long as I have him, then my life can really begin anew. That's why everything else in my way is worthless and must be destroyed. You too are worthless to me."

Suzushina clenched her right hand.

She sneered from listening to the rabble of a delusional basement dweller who hasn't left their mother's basement for the last 495 years. "I recognize the type of _fool_ you are. You're a spiteful creature lamenting their loneliness because they're strong. No matter who reaches out first, everything and everyone would crumble from your touch. And when you finally want something of your own, you just could not control that immense power in the wake of that narrow-minded self. You don't understand what it means to receive something so fragile in your hands and the desire to protect it. The instinct to hold back and care for it. You only know how to destroy. All you really want is to shove down all your frustrations on someone who can't go against you. I don't care if you're a victim, you will never have the things I treasure and love." She flipped her off.

Suzushina would not forgive Flandre. She could see her former self, the monster that was the #1 Level 5 who threw away everything in their path to achieve absolute strength, within the vampire. That no longer had any meaning to her. It was all worthless compared to everything else she has gained in her journey the day she decided to protect a little girl - her former enemy.

"Come, lonely creature crawling in the shadows. Allow me to teach you what absolute strength really entails as the strongest level 5 - no, as the Strongest in the World!" Suzushina beckoned with a finger to taunt Frandre to go all out.

A dark miasma permeated the air and trees below. The standoff between the two's staring were intense that the wind rocked wild and the dark clouds darkened even further.

The pressure exuded by them extended for miles, and an unlucky tree was twisted and stamped down.

A battle between those who could only destroy was about to commence.

"I WANT KAMIJOU TOUMA!"

"Those hands of yours will never grasp anything."

_"Oof! Sick burn!"_

A bluenette spectator watched from behind a tree. Her body was pale white from being in the vicinity of the two abnormal monsters. Her primal instincts told her to run, but she thought better to stay and witness the upcoming battle in its fullest.

Her attention was mostly invested in the white monster.

"Did she call herself the strongest?"

* * *

"Morning just can't come soon enough, can it!? This better not become a habit during my stay in Gensokyo!" Touma shouted his grievances in the roaring winds.

Alas, even he must relent to the efficiency of his ride. It was all thanks to Suzushina that he could make it this far (Discounting the other people who only seemed to veer him off course.).

"Ergh… But with this, I'm going to finally reach the Hakurei Shrine." Touma shook his head to dispel his current mood.

It was a blessing that performing barrel rolls weren't a needed supplement this time. The wind allowed him more freedom of movement too. He cried on the inside knowing that Suzushina deliberately added a spin to her first throw.

"Just wait, Yuriko-chan. I'll be back for you soon." Touma claimed, hardening his resolve to end this madness.

He set his sight forward, belatedly remembered an obstacle still in his way. The kite-shaped object resumed its former octahedron form. There was no telling which was the front or if it even had omnidirectional sight. If so, then the path to Hakurei Shrine was an arduous stage if that construct were to heed its attention to Touma.

Suddenly, his sense flared in detection of an incoming projectile. Touma hardened his features and looked over his shoulders. He found a cross sigil cutting through the air in a straight path without deviation.

"Dammit! Did Flandre-chan somehow get passed Yuriko-chan!?" Touma cursed with a foreboding emotion.

He turned around and shielded his front with his right hand in the path of the projectile. He miscalculated as the projectile wasn't intended for him. The sigil barely grazed past Touma and missed his hand.

Touma came to an understanding of who its target was as he trailed his head after it.

The cross sigil landed on the octahedron and branded itself on the surface. A transformation was immediate. The colorful polygon's unknown material became that of pure, white salt.

For the umpteenth time, Touma could hardly contain his astonishment. From one thing to another, reality carved into him that he knew absolutely nothing about the current situation.

"That was too close for comfort. The culprit probably gambled for either me or the octahedron to be hit!"

His assessment was correct. Sharp sounds of wind departed and Touma threw his head back to witness eight more cross sigils fired towards the heavens.

Each one embedded themselves on a cloud and branded their existence to be subservient. Their new allegiance shifted from that of nature to the sigil's wielder. As proof, the dark clouds transformed into salt as well.

Gravity should've punished them by stamping its hand down as they fell. But that is not what happened. The salt clouds seemingly earned new life as they bent and twisted into new forms to accommodate their new existence.

12 angel wings.

Feathers composed of pure salt grouped together to band into angel wings. The wings themselves positioned themselves as a pair of six emitting from a center. Within that center, an eyeball was constructed out of thin air. Completed, light surged from above their heads within the clouds, heralding the gates of heaven open.

12 angel wings for each sigil meant a total of 96 angel wings.

The wings of each member twitched and operated like fingers. They laced themselves like they were gripping the handle of a sword. Sounds of static came from within, and light spilled and arised from the center. Pillars of light extended to the high heavens. Each pillar of light formed giant, 50-kilometer long crosses.

The culprit for putting an end to the rain slowly commanded each pillar of light to be swung downwards in succession.

Their common target was the flying Kamijou Touma in the sky just below them. His course was still moving upwards high enough as planned to descend towards the Hakurei Shrine.

The image one could only gaze upon is a single boy flying towards the heavens as eight swords of light attempted to strike him down to the Earth.

The heroic boy grit his teeth and narrowed his eyes fiercely.

"BRING IT ON!" He roared to the heavens as his right fist countered the pillars of light.

Air weaved and screeched from the descending swords wielded by the 96 wings.

He jammed his palm forward to grip the first light and crushed it. There was little room to breathe as the next sword dropped in a split-second.

Barely made it in time, the fist swung to the right to intercept a sword directed to his side. The second was disintegrated by the touch of his bare knuckles.

Touma channeled immense effort to right his position from leaving a giant opening the next incoming sword. The third collapsed from a punch that was reared back.

His time to react against the swords were nicked down the faster they were drawn. The fourth swept across the upper-right of his center, only to be made a feint as it returned instantly with greater speed to his lower left. Touma pulled his upper body back to flip in order to grasp a bit of space. He narrowly dodged the sword and chopped it down, breaking it in half.

The fifth performed its attack as a thrust. Touma snatched it by the upper section of the cross, snapping another sword in half with a push. He continued his momentum without waiting for the other end to react. He rotated just in time to disarm the other lunging half from the pair of wings with the broken half he stole. The fifth shattered into pieces.

A pair of swords descended simultaneously to stamp him down. Touma momentarily panicked, but turned more rigid once he noticed a starch difference between the two. The left was much thicker than the other. He stopped the left sword in place with his palm, disrupting it and redirecting its great size to the right sword for a direct counter. The collision produced astronomic inertia, and the pair crumbled down beneath him. The sixth and seventh crumbled.

Touma, suspended in midair, watched the last sword plunge slower than the rest in a poised manner.

"I don't suppose you have anymore tricks left?"

As if it were an answer, the sword split into three. The extensions dispersed into raining arrows, all homing at Touma.

The calm expression on Touma's face was not disturbed by the herd of arrows firing at him every angle.

"Seen it once, seen it all."

A shard that broke off from the thick sword he disrupted earlier was wielded in his right hand. It was slowly being negated by Imagine Breaker, so Touma pitched it at the homing arrows. In precise accuracy and precision, he hit his target. A chain reaction followed. Like arcs of electricity being attracted to one another, the arrows burst into hundreds of explosions. The eight and final one was obliterated.

The remnants of those swords fractured into harmless sparks that rained down in defeat by the hands of a human defying gravity.

The sky looked beautiful. Fireworks or raining stars impacted the Earth gently. The light of heaven was stolen.

Nobody in Gensokyo could take their eyes away from the sight. Many could not find the figure of a human boy within the center of the falling sparks. Only those with relevance to the defense and struggle of power within Gensokyo witnessed that splendour.

"You won't fool me! There's still one more in front of me!"

As the sparks dissipated from his sights, the octahedron, turned salt, churned from the center. Ripples pulsated from the center and a roaring cannon expelled from within, aiming upwards.

Courageously, Touma dived down and stuck his right forward as a spike to pierce the center of the beam.

"UUUOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHHH!"

The initial clash favored Touma. He pierced through a fourth of the beam, splitting the beam apart. But his descent gradually slowed down from within the beam.

"Nnngh!"

It took him a while to reach half the beam's length. The wind which aided him was slowly losing momentum. At this rate, he won't be able to make it to the shrine.

Touma braced himself for the worst as he shut his eyes. His fist was beginning to have its angle slowly bent, and the pain now rushed in. Soon, it was becoming unbearable.

"RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH!"

Something unnatural occurred. An aberration declared its existence known.

Where did it come from?

What was its shape?

The only detail that came to light was the bright colors.

Sky-blue and Lemon-yellow.

Muscle fibers of the two bright colors danced and extended from the human's right shoulder. They elongated and mass-produced more of itself to fill up a room.

The mass of muscle fibers wreathed around the exterior of the beam like a serpent. Its purpose was not to overpower the attack with overwhelming force.

The administrator performed absorption.

The mass of sky-blue and lemon-yellow did not go as far to the base of the beam. Nonetheless, the beam, including the salt-turned octahedron, was absorbed inside the mass of muscle fibers.

When Kamijou Touma opened his eyes, the sky-blue and lemon-yellow had already vanished into thin air.

He failed to comprehend what had just occurred. But that was not his highest concern. He was now stuck in the air and lost most of the wind meant to carry him to the shrine.

The plan ended in failure. He was stalled from reaching the Hakurei Shrine.

Somewhere, a certain Blind Dragon (who was occupying a Demon of Dusk) screamed.

Promptly, Touma fell from the sky to return into the accursed forest. He covered his face with his raised arms to brace for the painful impact.

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhh!"

Suddenly, a weight pulled from above and his voice was caught in his throat.

"Hoopf!"

Touma adjusted to the sudden inertia and limped his head. He slowly regained his bearings to look over his shoulder lethargically.

"Koishi!?" Touma exclaimed the name of his savior.

"It's so good to see you again, Touma onii-chan!"

* * *

**Please review and point out any spelling and grammar mistakes; they are very much appreciated!**


	14. Chapter 14

**AN: Hoo boy. Where do I start? Ahem, it's been four months and a lot has happened since then. My excuse is that I've been addicted to a new franchise during my time away. It's called Shin Megami Tensei. My friend put it quite nicely. I was on a SMT exodus. I started with SMT Nocturne (Fuck you, Mot), SMTIV, SMTIV:A, Strange Journey Redux, Devil Survivor 1 and 2, Persona 3 FES, and SMT Nocturne Hardtype (FUCK YOU, MOT). That and coupled with my time at college leaves me a lot less spare time than I used to have.**

**Also, this chapter can be considered an anniversary chapter. Yes, it's been several days since the date this fic started on, but I'm begging you to consider it an anniversary chapter!**

**I've also been spending time with fellow writers and friends over at the Kamachiland discord server. One of my good friends is Shroom Crab. If you want in-detail spoilers on the plot of this fic, you can go badger him. He's somewhere in the review sections, you can't miss him. And be sure to read his fics too!**

**Review Responses:**

**KRKing: Oh don't worry, Tanin'iver will receive proper karma in the best way possible.**

**VolcaninFlare: Oof, sorry for the long wait. I hope you are still here somewhere to continue reading my fic.**

**Guest: Thank you for spending your quality time on my fic.**

**Mrcrazyman94: Believe me, I have plans for Yuriko no doubt.**

**tsun: Yes, I can understand where your coming from. I only hope to regain some of your trust in later chapters.**

**awaredell: I pray for what I have planned for the rest of these characters.**

**Masterx01: Thank you for your insightful criticism and advice during out PMs. You've brought to my attention many shortcomings in this fic and I will address them accordingly to the best of my abilities. I already some in mind I can work with in due time. I do have a more detailed plan for what I will do at the bottom of this chapter, so please look forward to that. There is no critique more hurtful to me than to fail at realizing the potential of a premise I made for myself.**

**Guest: I'm back and I'm raring to go.**

**A Stomach to Rival Yuyuko**

* * *

"Where have you been this whole time!?" Touma made sure to keep his voice leveled to not startle her on how worried he was.

Koishi merely raised her head away from him. Unsure of how to proceed, she looked to be in contemplation, or so he thought. The lack of response and silence gave him enough reason to be anxious. Not for his sake, at least...

"Um...hello? Koishi-chan? Hello?" Touma belatedly asked as Koishi remained tight-lipped, giving no response.

To further elicit a response from her, Touma raised his left hand and patted her cheek. He repeated this action until she expressed something other than a stony face. Figuring that he needed to be a bit more forceful, he moved on to pinching her cheeks.

"Hm?" Koishi felt the tug of pain on her muscles and shifted her eyes to find the source. "Oh!" Koishi stuck her tongue at him, flustered after noticing his attempts at bringing her attention. She playfully shook his hand off of her before proceeding with a downcast expression. That was worrying. "I...had a sudden impulse to leave." Now she sounded sad and somber.

At least in Touma's perception of sad and somber. He just couldn't grasp a good read on what she's thinking the entire time. He couldn't help but feel even more worried than before.

Looking at such an out-of-place expression from the usually cheery Koishi made him understand something was really amiss. "You...felt like leaving?" The teenager started slowly, careful to not set her off as his head tilted in bemusement.

"Mm!" Koishi eagerly nodded, switching from one state of mind at the drop of a hat. "I thought it would be fun to play hide-and-seek with you." She ignored his surprised face from her sudden transition in demeanor. "When you found me, Something new sparked inside me!" Koishi excitedly said.

The atmosphere used to be somber. Now he felt almost drawn in by her cheerfulness. Barely aware enough outside of the effect, he shook his head to dispel it. So she was paying attention the whole time and was good at following the context. That was good, yet she felt distant and detached. Having felt that such a whimsical personality wasn't worth getting riled up or becoming persistent over, Touma just sighed instead. Her sporadic behavior will no doubt be troublesome in the future. He had to take control unless he inexorably fell into her flow.

Just what was with him and his tendency to get involved with mentally questionable girls?

"Koishi," Touma called her name sternly. "You need to let people know when you decide to head off somewhere unknown beforehand. Can't you understand how people will feel, especially people who worry over you incessantly when you do so without a prior reminder?"

"Hahaha." Koishi giggled, appearing to sink into her own reality and ignoring his stern tone. It would take some work for her to take anything he said to heart. "You sound just like Onee-chan."

"... I'll take that as a compliment." He concluded mirthlessly, not feeling satisfied at how little he learned. Especially the distance between them not having lessened an inch.

Koishi looked forward and hummed with her body restless in idle motion. Touma did the same towards the general direction being taken by Koishi. At least now, her attention span wasn't so flimsy like a minute ago. He released a sigh of relief when the Hakurei Shrine appeared on the horizon.

Observing their surroundings in the air was dull, to say the least. Nothing but trees and a damp atmosphere from the departure of rain clouds.

Speaking of rain clouds, the strange creatures of angel wings entirely composed of salt softly flapped their wings as to not disturb the air.

Before their assertion in controlling the sky, they were a hindrance to Touma's path. But when the initial blows had ended, he was running on fumes left when traversing the air. Appearing to be satisfied with that, the group of exotic beings backed off, removing their sights on him and remaining in the sky.

Finding a new object to admire, curiosity danced in Koishi's eyes as she observed the angel wings together with Touma.

"They look creepy and make my skin crawl." Said Koishi with ill-concealed fascination despite the jarring words, affirming Touma's exact thoughts.

One individual was spotted glaring at them, concentrated mostly on Touma, with a fixed stare. When the pair's eyes crossed with the angel, it reacted with red veins emerging from its eye. Twelve wings reared back and bent their tips at the center.

Touma prudently tugged Koishi's sleeve to rip the airheadedness out of her. "Descend, now!" He raised his voice to order her.

With unusual compliance, Koishi plunged down as ordered with her trademark dopey smile intact. Once they reached the ground, Touma broke into a sprint while Koishi rode his shoulders.

"Hang on tight, Koishi!" Touma cautioned as a foreboding feeling rose in him.

"Mm!" Koishi nodded lightly, having fun even under a precarious situation such as this.

Having expected an attack by one of the angel-like beings from above, Touma leaped over and took cover in a thick tree root.

A strong shockwave rocked near them from behind. The winds shook hard enough that they were visible to the naked eye. The unusual pair even felt the strong force shove the root to their backs. Once the aftereffects dissipated, the duo poked their heads out cautiously, or at least Touma did, to inspect the damage. Nothing but a harsh crater remained. The bombardment erased the area of its thicket and damaged the fertile soil that nothing new will ever grow beneath it for years.

"Hey, hey, Touma Onii-chan. Why didn't you stop that attack with your right hand?"

The boy in question regarded her with a tad suspect. "If I did, then the angel would be alerted to our location. It's best to leave it thinking the threat, which is me, is eliminated so that we don't have more of those attacks raining." He tentatively informed her.

"But what if that didn't work? How can you be so sure it would leave without making sure any trace remaining was destroyed?" Koishi doubted him without her usual smile fluctuating.

Touma raised his head in thoughtfulness. "If it's anything like an angel I'm familiar with, it wouldn't have the capacity to have doubts or cautiousness to eliminate a threat in its entirety. Angels are like robots running under specific programs underneath every exterior personality. Once we left its line of sight, we already escaped its radar. Just like how a sentry operates in a sense."

Koishi swayed from his shoulders. Her curiosity and inquisitiveness were not satisfied. "So what would you do if more attacks did occur? Can you block every single one of them when your sight is obscured by all of these trees?"

"Heh. Well, it's not quite special or anything, but I've got some confidence and experience from surviving things I normally shouldn't." His humbleness did nothing to ease the arrogant smile on his face.

"Hahaha!" Koishi chuckled. She relaxed her elbows on top of his head and laid her cheeks on her palms. "That's why you piqued my interest so much. Your subconscious reaction to involuntary movements is so well developed, it even sensed my presence way back in that junkyard. It's almost like a form of precognition. A very specific form, though." Her smile broadened.

That wasn't quite the reason he had expected to find out why she took an incessant interest in him since the beginning. He wasn't even aware of this extraordinary skill she suspected him of possessing.

"I'm not somebody special who has had this amazing talent since birth. I survive terrible things more than I could care to count. Wait, wouldn't that mean I'm lucky to have been able to avoid so much life-threatening violence for this long?" He firmly denied any bizarre element concerning his birth. He wasn't even sure if he had Imagine Breaker since birth. Or more accurately, he couldn't remember if he had it since birth.

"Hmm." Koishi made a thoughtful face, her purple wire appendage fixed into a question mark. "So what you're saying...is that you get bullied a lot despite being so strong. The nature of your precognition skill is the type to develop by avoiding or reacting to an attack's startup sequence before it's fired. Usually, only a weakling would be able to develop this from constant repetition or charging into fatal attacks. People who are strong rarely have this because they possess naturally fast reflexes."

He felt both a sense of amity and being wronged from her comment on him being bullied. It felt like someone punctured a knife in his heart and twisted it even further. Although, she didn't seem to mean anything ill from it.

He shed a few tears before replying. "Finally...someone that gets me." He sniffed and wiped his nose. "Although, you're kinda wrong on me being strong. This Kamijou-san is just a normal high school boy you can find anywhere. While I do have muscles, my physical strength is just average."

A deadpan expression rose from Koishi's face. "Touma Onii-chan. You are strong. Scary strong."

"Eh!?" He widened his eyes. "That's impossible. There's no way I could scare someone with my averageness. Nope, nuh-uh." Touma shook his head, a pitiful smile graced his lips by her mislead perception of him.

"You punched Marisa hard enough to knock her unconscious. You ripped a tree in half with your bare hands." She pouted at him, believing him to be lying to her. Not entirely done yet, she playfully punched his head to drive the message home.

His mind spurned into overdrive. No, that couldn't be possible. Could it? "That was ME!?" He yelled in disbelief by the startling revelation. There was no way such a demon existed inside him, right?

"And not just that. You scared a dragon from how silly you've been drunk as you shredded the area apart." She gingerly stated without minding his panicked state.

Naturally, he froze from that statement, having turned rigid with his muscles tense.

"What do you mean?" Touma carefully pried, securing his emotions to not run amok.

Koishi sat upright and placed her index finger on her chin. "They were watching you nap. You were sleepwalking, and the dragon was traumatized by what you did to them."

Bewildered, Touma was baffled, to say the least. "I did what?" He muttered incredulously.

"Ah mou!" Koishi flapped her arms, clearly displeased by how doubtful Touma was by her. "Idiot Onii-chans should be more trusting of little sister characters! We wouldn't do anything wrong to them...much." She crossed her arms and pouted to the side.

He was definitely feeling secure by the last remark for sure.

"Tell me more about the dragon! How it behaved, what it wanted, why it was in the forest!" Touma fired a barrage of endless questions at the satori. The poor girl felt an incoming headache from the restless and healthy teenager.

"Aah! No more! I wasn't paying attention very much. All I know is what I saw!" Angrily pouted the Koishi, whipping her free arms above.

"At the very least, I need to know what they appeared as!" The spiky-haired kid did not concede so readily.

Relaxed after narrowing down to one question, the greenette said, "Spiky all over, no eyes, no arms, just two fangs poking from their eye sockets."

Touma mused over the description and traced back to a specific dragon that grew from his dismembered arm a long time ago. In introspect, he was fortunate that horde was so focused on the threat before him in the form of a rampaging Misaka and _not _kill her during the process. The intentions were still a mystery, but it wanted to approach him this time? This wasn't like the pink and emerald who avoided him from the get-go.

Still, under a contemplative mood, Touma cupped his chin and proceeded to talk to himself. "Did it suddenly acquire an interest for me after the Windsor incident? Maybe something's different about it too. Or perhaps..." He mumbled incoherently under his breath.

Koishi slightly jumped from the familiar tone he used. "Were they someone you knew? Me and onee-chan own a variety of pets, but we never could tame a dragon before!" It was exciting to be associated with a man who accomplished something few can brag about.

Touma cursed under his breath for being so careless. Had he already forgotten how sharp Koishi could be when she wanted to? "It's not important."

"It so is! Even I can tell that was an adult dragon! Normally you'd raise an infant to nurture loyalty. An adult form like that would take thousands of years to grow to reach that size. How did you do it!?"

A frown spread on his face, Touma settled to remain quiet. It was not a wise decision to spew any clues of his association with the dragons, simply because of the potential bounty on his head in the future. But the honest glow of innocence from Koishi was infecting Touma's will to keep his mouth shut.

"Look, the dragon isn't important right. We need to-hrk!" Her frightening strength caused a cold gut reaction of having his head wrung right off his throat from her constant pulling at his jaw. "Kah! No more. Stop. Let go!" With each syllable, the strength in his lungs kept dissipating.

"I won't unless you tell me!" Koishi profusely refused with a defiant look. To further her threat, the satori twisted her thighs around his throat and pressed them. Being choked by her, Touma fell on his back with a thud.

Her current grapple on him prevented further progress from reaching the shrine. He had no choice, nor did his opinion hold any weight unless he conceded to Koishi's demands. Feelings of distress and a pale face from her tight grip left him little choice on the matter. Kamijou forced a nod and patted her thigh repeatedly to signal his consent. Released from the captivity of her powerful hands and soft legs, he leaned down and coughed. "Urgh... I may or may not be related to that dragon, including the others who have arrived here as well."

"More in detail, please!" Koishi further demanded by highlighting her pumped fists up in the air. Finally, the answers she had been looking for are being given.

Touma propped himself back up and did a quick survey of the area before resuming the path to the shrine. "I don't know all the details, but for some god knows what reason these scaly bastards decided to barge into my right hand." He would gladly divulge some secrets for some progress. Doesn't mean he couldn't reserve some very touchy details he'd rather stay secret.

"Then!? How many are there!?" It was like watching a dog who couldn't stop badgering its owner for attention.

"I counted nine the last time I saw them together in a group. But I suspect one of them is missing." Touma fed Koishi the most minimal amounts of info to keep her concentrated on him and prevent her from diverting into doing something that screamed 'Koishi.'

"So many!" Stars gleamed on the surface of her eye while she smiled broadly. The purple appendage around her bounced around to communicate the same excitement. "How do you go about controlling them when they misbehave?"

"I don't know, I just yell at them to shut up." Touma evenly told her, as if it were the most obvious tactic to use to command several ancient monsters, each with the power to end the world.

"Oooooh. I'll do the same! The next time I see a dragon, I'll tell it to shut up!"

He really hoped she wouldn't do that. She caused enough trouble on her own. "No. Bad. Bad Koishi, very bad." Touma scolded her the same way a person would reprimand their dog when they did something naughty.

"So mean! I'm not a pet like Orin and Okuu!" She whined in a fashion that matched someone her age, kicking a fuss on top of Touma. "One day, I will become someone on par with you. I'll have my own army of dragons together with my onee-chan, and then we can compare them!" She passionately proclaimed a really unrealistic prospect that wasn't reciprocated by Touma.

He felt bad. Really bad at how much he kept feeding Koishi the illusion of someone he's not unintentionally. He needed to clear up the misconceptions sooner than later before they inadvertently bit him in the ass. Looking back, the number of misunderstandings arose from his misfortune and how he suffered because of them, his precautions weren't misplaced.

That was when he noticed a clearing a few distances away from his front. How could he forget the first sign of human civilization he stepped on since coming to Gensokyo? Although, calling it a symbol of human civilization was giving Rinnosuke too much credit. Regardless, he felt exhilarated and delighted to see the familiar antique shop. From his position, it would take about fifteen minutes to reach the open area while holstering Koishi.

Instead of wasting away the lengthy period in silence, Touma initiated the conversation to Koishi on a matter he was troubled by "So, what was so important that you needed to do after you left?" Touma started a new conversation to pass the time.

With the usual smile, but far more lively thanks to the prior conversation, she adorably tilted her head before replying. "I was interested in finding a _fishing rod_!" Koishi answered in an infectious, upbeat manner.

There shouldn't have been a reason. There wasn't anything wrong with what she had said. All she did was express an interest in something mundane and harmless. Otherwise, her discretion was nothing to be alarmed about. However, Touma just couldn't stop his body from trembling all of a sudden.

"Touma Onii-chan, your body feels really weird. Do something to stop it." Koishi pouted, feeling uncomfortable from the jiggling below her.

"Aaah, yeah! Give me just a moment to relax!" It took quite an effort to wriggle his words out from his wobbly lips.

He just couldn't understand what was wrong with him. The words he heard chilled him to the core.

"Hey, do you think the shrine will have a fishing rod?

"Yes! I-I mean it better have one somewhere stored securely, after all! Ha-haha…" Touma frantically assured and agreed to that unlikely possibility. He was no expert on shrines and what duties took place in them, but the image of a fishing rod lying around like a sore-thumb was doubtful despite how much he was hoping for it to be a reality.

"Yeah...they better have it." A somber tone juxtaposed itself beside Koishi's optimistic expression.

She wasn't good enough at hiding her emotions as he initially thought. Sometimes, she seemed unaware of her own mask falling off. What made it even worse was how undisturbed she acted when it did happen.

_'But why a fishing rod? No, scratch that, I'm better off not knowing what kind of horrible reason it is for my heart.'_

Just as he was composing his maidenly heart, a disturbance was felt by Touma. From where the quiet antique shop rested, an unpleasant sound erupted from inside, and the roof got blown off from within. A black figure emerged from the hole it carved and the vague features of two horns rose along with its head.

"Look! It's Daidarabotchi-sama!" Koishi pointed her finger at the looming figure in pure mesmerization.

Touma was quick to recover and recognize the general shape of the shadow to piece together the only person that fit the criteria. "Isn't that Suika!? Rinnosuke's going to be pissed. He better pray Gensokyo has an insurance policy in effect."

Covering a generous distance after the lackluster attempt at conversing, Touma swore in his heart to not utter a fishing rod near Koishi, the spiky-haired teenager reached out to gain Suika's attention.

"Oi! Suika! Over here!" He yelled at the top of his lung.

The giant reared its head over to the voice of Touma, and its eyes flashed with recognition.

"Ah! Touma, you came back!" Suika, in her massive form the size of 130 meters, greeted him back with a smile and wave. "And I see you managed to pick up a stray cat along the way!"

He and Koishi had to cover their ears from the loud booming of her voice since the increased mass enlarged the power of her lungs to ridiculous levels.

"Aniki has returned!? This is bad! I haven't prepared myself yet...uwaah...I hope he won't be disappointed with a girl like me with this much unkempt hair…" Shion, a poverty goddess, fastened in the grip of Suika's fist, was lamenting her lack of hygiene being in plain view for the boy she was interested in.

"Who do you have there in your hands? Isn't it rude to pick up some girl stained with god knows what without their consent!? You have no idea where she's been. Show some respect!" Touma quipped at the giant after witnessing the unfair treatment for the bluenette when Suika started to whip her in a circle like she was a piece of string. To keep the fragile integrity of Shion's heart intact, the difference in height between her and Touma left little possibility for the former to hear his rude words.

"Zip it! You have no idea the trouble I've been through with her. If it wasn't for her meddling, I would've picked you up ages ago, and we'd be having fun making enemies out of everyone at the shrine. You show some consideration instead!" Suika fired back like an irate child, pointing her finger at his sprinting form. "Don't think you can get off scot-free from ditching me either!"

"Just what kind of hell were you expecting to raze with me as an accomplice!? I'm starting to think twice about our arrangement!"

"Too late to back out now! I'll forgive you if you drink from my gourd a second time." Suika produced the same, accursed gourd that forced Touma into an intoxicated state. He paled at the sight of how much larger it was having grown in size to accommodate Suika's increased mass. "This time, you have to drink _all _of it!" Suika charged him brusquely as she shook the gourd upside, and a waterfall of sake spilled down the area from where Kourindou resided.

"Hell no! I suffered enough alcohol for a year!" He ardently refused the second serving from the large Oni from where his puny form stood. How little did he know of the custom surrounding Gensokyo where everybody drank sake almost every day.

"Touma, you had better step out of the forest before I do it myself at the count of three!" Suika threw down her ultimatum and fiercely whipped the gourd around, spurting the flying contents everywhere.

"Uwah! Careful where you swing that thing!" Despite carrying additional weight, Touma avoided every incoming splash and covered his mouth to stop any from entering his system. "Enough already, I'm coming out!" Even Touma had to smile at how cheery and contagious Suika being a giant toddler could be with that earnest smile on her.

The border between Kourindou and the Forest of Magic was closing in. This strange episode of getting lost and meeting new and familiar faces was fast approaching its end. Touma maintained his smile and closed his eyes as his steps naturally took him to depart from the forest.

"Ready to leave this behind and head to the Hakurei Shrine with us, Koishi?" He directed the question to her when he raised his head slightly upwards. The boy still had the common sense to ask for her consent instead of forcing her if she didn't want to.

"Sure, I had a lot of fun together. I'm ready to eat and drink till I fall asleep at the shrine!" And swiftly did she respond positively with a fist raised to the air.

The unusual duo looked forward and continued to the next chapter of the night. If only such an obvious conclusion were allowed in a bizarre realm such as Gensokyo.

"Huh?" Touma ground to a halt when a chill crawled up his spine. He hadn't witnessed something out of place, but his body immediately reacted to the sudden change in the air. "Something doesn't feel right…"

"Onii-chan, there's something behind us!" Koishi alerted him desperately. Even she felt the need to express her anxiety with a frightened face. She did not falter from the sight that was the Blind Dragon, she did not pause when she ventured into the depths of Touma's interior body. But this...this was much worse.

Was it the dark playing tricks akin to the slight, visible movement of gas released from a stove or heat? Or the unwieldy earth expanding and resuming its uniform state? Something wasn't right about the forest. The domain which belonged to no one eerily felt like it was being consumed from the inside.

Touma did not look back. If he did, he would waste even the few precious seconds left to escape. Charging forward at top speed, energy burned in his legs to the fullest. He could make it, he could clear the twenty meters between him and Kourindou. But didn't he have a much more reliable vehicle?

"Koishi, get us out of here!"

"I...I can't! Something heavy feels like it's weighing down on me, even though the cheating spell lifted, I can't fly anymore! You have to keep running Touma Onii-chan!" For the first time, Touma had heard what Koishi's panicked voice sounded like, and it was a visible sign of disastrous proportions.

"Damn it! Suika, pull us out!" He resorted to the person on the other side to bail them out of the incoming disaster.

Even the leader of one of the most notorious youkai bandit groups in history felt trepidation from something at the center of The Forest of Magic. She acquiesced him and used her power to pull him and his companion towards her, but something was hampering the effect.

"Be careful, Touma! I've only felt this a few times before, but this is no doubt the work of a dragon! The forest is now someone's domain, and it's interfering with my power entering it!" Suika went full-alert and dropped both Shion and her gourd to crack her fists.

"W-w-what's happening now!?" Shion, out of the loop, squeaked out in fright as she felt a malevolent spirit radiate from the direction of the forest.

"Stay quiet! This is a really delicate time, and I would appreciate it if you don't mess with me again!" Her blood boiled from the memory of fighting a fierce spear long ago, and Suika reacted uncharacteristically vexed at the nearest victim who did not deserve it.

"Eep!" Shion scurried off into the distance, not wanting to get roped in for what's to come through pure instinct.

Suika clapped her hands together, and from her power came the weight of gravity magnifying. Within her palms was a swelling power, significant enough to cause reality to screech. A great destroyer, the devourer of stars. It's avaricious nature bent the laws of time-space and light would find it impossible to escape. A miniature black hole produced at the epicenter of Suika's closed hands.

"Jump!" She unleashed the natural cleaner of the universe out into the open so that its strong pull would carry Touma and Koishi to her.

"Kuh!" It was reasonable to hesitate at the prospect of jumping towards a black hole regardless if it wasn't authentic. But Touma had already trusted his fate to Suika, and he knew that she did not desire his death no matter what. All caution had to be thrown away. "Alright...I understand. I'm coming!"

As a safety precaution, Touma stuck his right hand forward to destroy the black hole if he got too close to it. The suction force was the only thing he relied upon, so the radiation was going to be siphoned away. Doing as ordered, his feet were lifted from the ground. The thumping of his heart rattled his entire body, but he gained more distance less than thrice the amount it would take if he ran.

A victorious grin came to Suika's face. "Hahaha! Too bad mystery man! Touma will be coming with me to the shrine!" She gloated before reaching the finishing line. A very arrogant proclamation met with a somber reminder of losing because another contender out of thin air would steal the goal.

Touma was the first to react against the visible threat. The shadows all around the earth spurn and congregated into geometric spears, the shape of triangles. They escaped the 2nd-dimension and extended from the ground at the speed of darkness, aimed at the giant target known as Suika. He tried to negate as many of the constructs as they flew by him, but hundreds were still standing erect and arrived without delay to pierce Suika's skin.

"Like that'll be enough to draw the blood of an Oni. Betcha didn't know about this little tidbit where my skin is as tough as a dragon god's scales!" She laughed at the meager ambush the assailant tried to pass off as first blood. That's when she noticed a peculiarity. More than half the spears weren't aimed for her, but the miniature black hole in her hands. "Hey, stay away from there!"

Unexpectedly, some of the shadows which extended from the forest were not wholly swallowed by the destroyer. It may have been due to an affinity the two resonated with. Whatever the case, the distance between the center of compressed gravity and the triangles stopped lowering. Instead, they cushioned around the death star akin to a cocoon.

"Whatever you're planning, it's not gonna happen on my watch!" After her firm declaration, power coursed through Suika's veins and mustered around her fingers. She positioned her hands at the sides of her black hole and hot, screeching lightning emitted from the tips of her fingers to scorch the amorphous shadows. They scattered and flexed with over a million volts to burn the dark into ashes.

But Suika's expectations were dashed. Out of nowhere, the shine of glistening white made her eyes twitch from the unblemished teeth marking themselves on the surface of the shadows. The form of mouths kept appearing; delighted by the free meal, they bore open to swallow all the electricity. Shocked and surprised, Suika's opening gave them the opportune time to meld together into a fist grasping the miniature black hole. Protected by the many mouths lining its skin, the shadow hand forced the sphere to erupt all the power inside the singularity to convulse and bend out of uniform.

There was another side of a black hole, the reverse form of a star in its hour of death where its life shined brightest. Supernova, the extraordinary heat, and explosion engulfing a star as its last breath was taken away. The prominence and brightness blinded everyone's sight in the immediate area, as well as setting the forest and Kourindou on fire. The damage had seared the soil into charred black, and vegetation was reduced to dust in the air. Suika's black hole had been repurposed against her as a faux supernova, engulfing her and generating powerful winds to throw her and the soaring duo back.

"Kwuh!"

"Kyaaah!"

The force of the explosion bulldozed Touma and Koishi from the air and back a new 20 meters apart from the boundary line. The duo tumbled against their will as resisting the impact explosion of a faux supernova was laughable, especially when they were in the air just a few seconds ago. Climbing to their feet, they were in time to witness the scourge closely around them as any remaining feelings of positively sunk. A thick moat of darkness colored the border. The worst part about this was the smoking, downed form of Suika reverting to her normal size.

Things couldn't end like this. Touma would not accept being prisoner to the damnable forest again. He rushed to where the stunned Koishi stood and grabbed her hand. "Stay close and don't leave my side until we're outta this!" The spiky-haired boy sprinted with the wordless satori in tow.

Koishi turned around to find out the murkiness within the forest had grown so thick, nothing was visible to her further than a few meters from her sight. "Hiii!"

"C'mon, we can still make it!" Touma encouraged her and persuading himself that he could still salvage the situation. "There has to be a way for me to turn this situation around." Then an idea struck his mind like a lightning bolt. "Koishi, fire the brightest magic bullet you can over the center of the line!"

Whatever trance Koishi was subdued in, her body moved automatically for her. She gestured her free hand, brewed a massive sphere of light, and chucked it hard over the line. The band bent from the shine of light and expanded outwards like the waning crescent. Just as he wanted, Touma crouched down and hammered his fist on that band, resulting in its destruction. Back to his feet, Touma forced more power into his legs and made a mad dash for the open gate with Koishi still stuck to his hand.

A foreboding sensation nagged at the back of his mind, and it came forth in the form of the two lingering ends of the moat stretching for another connection as a waxing moon. "Someone really is trying to prevent us from escaping. Koishi, take away the magic bullet!" Panic tainted his voice when he ordered the satori.

The orb of light dispersed like a balloon, and Touma wasted no time as he snarled fiercely. The band receded to normal, but nothing has changed. No time was saved, and the situation remained the same. But the worst had yet to pass. Things escalated beyond their control as the moat shivered like water, and thrust up to paint the air black. Such a detestable sight had clicked the final pin inside the rage-fueled Touma.

"Stop screwing around!" Touma roared at the top of his lungs like he was talking to the suspect responsible for this. "It's over! The bet is finished! I no longer have a reason for me to be here. I can't keep being distracted with these games when so much could be at stake. I already know you survived, so quit crying for something as petty as revenge, Rumia!" He already figured out the culprit when his mind returned to complete clarity a few minutes ago. The sneaking suspicion which crept his mind had convinced him thanks to her signature power before him.

No longer was there an alternative to be found in such constraining conditions. Touma reared back his clawed hand and drove it forward in the hopes that it would eradicate the hindering wall. It was too late by the looks of it. The new properties of the barrier allowed it to revive itself as Imagine Breaker stayed in physical contact with it. Lingering his hand on the spot, he grit his teeth and dug his fingers deeper into the thick barricade. The constant, high-pitch screech reverberated as the darkness continued to new heights. Touma hung his head down dejectedly from the disappointment of being delayed yet again, so he removed his hand from the place.

Koishi silently watched him worriedly, lightly tugging at the hem of his hoodie. His head remained downcast, and she could hear him breathe deeply. With one last attempt, Touma punched the wall once more, creating a beautiful sound of cracking glass as Imagine Breaker hungrily wished to sear through the unnatural barrier. With her hands still on him, Koishi raised her head to the sky and watched as the oppressive void of domination surrounding the entire forest converged to the center in the air like a dome to seal the dragon's territory.

* * *

"Urgh…"

A splitting headache ran circles around Suika's head as she forced herself awake. When clarity returned to her expression, she snarled below her breath before getting back to her feet. Never before had she experienced her black hole used against her in such a fashion. When her eyes came to, the first sight of treating her was the barrier marking the boundaries of the dragon's domain. She blinked owlishly and rubbed her head to soothe the burning pain.

"Great, just great. How am I supposed to call myself a trustworthy Oni after failing this badly on my partner?" There was an irony from her words from which she chuckled mirthlessly. Still occupied by her injuries, she did not regard the approaching Shion.

"Umm...Oni-san, what are we going to do about Aniki? Do you think he's still alive in there?" She nervously asked as she clasped her shaking hands, and lower lips quivering as well.

A sigh came out from the two-horned girl's mouth in response to her question. "Chill out, girl. I have a gut feeling it's going to take more than that to kill the kid from what little I've gleaned from him." Suika cracked her neck while she strolled onward to the edge of the boundary. "Oi! If there's anyone who can hear me from in there, respond quickly!"

"Suika! Looks like you're already back on your feet." The muffled, relieved voice of Touma came from the other side of the darkness. "Me and Koishi aren't clearing this thing any time soon. Is there something you've noticed over that side that we haven't?"

"U-Uh, just give me a moment to adjust. I still smell smoke coming from my body, ya know?" An emotion that could only be described as embarrassment, Suika dusted her skirt, which had its edges slightly singed, and deliberated on the next step. "Keep away from touching the barrier. I don't fully understand the specifics of how this works since I've never seen anything like it. I also advise you to step back to the side from where you're currently standing." She sucked in a large intake of air to her lungs, and Touma scrambled away on alert.

"RAAAAGH!"

Condensed streams of magic leaped from Suika's chest and past her throat. Breaths of fire scorched the air and the humidity dropped rapidly. When slammed against the field barrier, the flame did not spread to cover the area but was instead absorbed into it. Ticked off, Suika approached closer to inspect the dome with the remaining flames lingering in her mouth.

"The front is a bust, but I wonder what's keeping me from digging under it." Her knuckles gave a pleasant cracking sound and they burrowed to the ground. Driven by pure instinct, Suika jumped back in time to avoid dark spears stabbing from the cracks on the ground thanks to her fist. "That proves the barrier extends to the earth." Suika raised her head to observe the curve that trailed to the center. "And I seriously doubt we can reach inside by finding an entrance above."

"Then what do you suggest I can do from here? If a solution isn't possible externally, perhaps there's a key internally." Touma helpfully provided his input.

Suika crossed her arms to contemplate over his words. "Certainly that's possible. Something like this needs to be maintained and provided by an energy source from somewhere. Since I'm positive it's a domain, the only location has to be from the center where the source can distribute power everywhere equally. While I could find a flaw in this by patrolling around the boundary to find a fluctuating opening, it will take a long time."

The sound of another crack in glass resounded from within. "Then, I'll do what I can and scour from inside to destroy whatever is holding this thing up."

Suika grumbled in a saddened mood. "Mm...And things were finally looking up really nicely too." She sent a glare at Shion's direction, which the recipient flinched from.

Touma nodded as response and was about to declare his departure before being prompted to step back in surprise. "Something's different! This thing's closing in!"

"What!?" Suika's eyes shrunk and she bared her teeth. "Nothing seems different from over here!"

"Then it's growing thicker from inside!"

"But why!?" As Suika exclaimed, a reason propped up to mind. "The purpose of this thing isn't to only trap what's already inside, but to capture it as well!"

"Damn! We can't just let ourselves be put on the plate for free!"

The Oni sat down cross-legged and made further calculations to piece together a plan to save Touma. "A dragon's domain and its owner can only reasonably be killed by a dragonslayer." Suika clicked her tongue in frustration. "Too bad Reimu isn't around to use her dragon-slaying spell. Wait…" That's when Suika looked to see the prone form of Rinnosuke. "This bastard has been hiding some really important stuff. Now I'm wondering where he got father's sword."

"Sui...can yo...ill...hear me!?" The voice of Touma pierced the border walls almost inaudibly.

The escalating problem had Suika stand upright immediately. "Touma! Just keep moving inwards, but don't stray away from the border and let yourself get sucked into it!"

"I...der...nd...I'll...wai...or...ou."

The final words of Touma came up as jargon, but Suika understood them perfectly.

With his last whispers gone, the two-horned girl proceeded towards Rinnosuke's body and placed her hands to her hips. "Looks like the newest incident has arrived on short notice. Rejoice, Rinnosuke, you get to finally play a part this time as a hero instead of remaining stuck in your shack." She snorted at the burning remnants of Kourindou.

"The Ama-no-Murakumo-no-Tsurugi which Susanoo gouged out from one end of Father's tails…" Suika picked up the sheathed blade at the half-youkai's side and inspected it. When she laid her vice grip on the handle, the sword refused to budge open. "Who are you to refuse me? Do you dare to say the daughter of Orochi is not worthy of his blade!?" Indignant, the daughter of one of Japan's greatest monsters enforced all her strength to split the sword and sheath apart from each other. A pang of heat burned Suika's hand, forcing her to discard the sword and check it. A sharp cut had formed and blood spilled from it. "Heh, what a pleasant surprise. You're finally getting to the process of attaining an ego. You're just one step away from becoming a tsukumogami!" A delighted grin lit itself on the Oni's face.

"Um...oni-san, is there anything I can do to help?" Shion shyly muttered out from her corner.

Suika spared her a glance from her shoulder and decided now was good enough to get some of her questions filled in. "That depends on what you can answer me. Where did you get all that divine strength from? I know you never held that much, even during your incident with your sister."

"Um, uh, well, that is…" Shion looked away and fumbled her words inaudibly. The poverty goddess rubbed her arm and looked squarely at Suika. "I think it has to do with the dragon I encountered."

"WHAT!?" In one moment, Suika had moved from her initial position to grasping Shion's shoulders. The frightened goddess watched with quivering lips in the face of Suika's fierce expression. "When was this!?"

"B-Before Rinnosuke-san came back with Aniki."

"Any striking details on this dragon!?"

"I-If I recall, they had four eyes!"

Suika turned around and mused on the likely individual she had in mind.

"The details are a bit fuzzy since that I haven't been up to date with Ibaraki-chan...But now that I think about it more closely, didn't she mention a benevolent dragon full of wisdom and four eyes in passing?" After searching her memory, Suika rounded towards Shion again with a firm solemnity. "Today's your lucky day, literally. With that blessing on you, we don't have to worry about your misfortune infecting us."

"T-Truly!?" The revelation had shocked Shion to the core with her mouth agape.

"Yeah, so sit back for a bit, because for the first time, your luck will be necessary." A smirk adorned the lips of Suika. "First thing on our agenda is to wake up the sleepyhead currently lying on the ground."

The sword was picked up once more to be used as a poking stick to rile the prone body of the shopkeeper. No luck was found by that approach. Instead, his body was repositioned to be leaning against the last standing tree in the area. After that, the mirror which rested near where Rinnosuke used to lay had finally been given attention to.

"What a pretty mirror. Wonder why it happens to be just laying around in such an open area." Shion piped up, bringing up a good question as to what reason the object is needed for at the moment.

"Did the shopkeeper obtain a sense of fashion? Too late to improve his reputation I say." Suika walked forward and raised the mirror to her face. "There appear to be scripts engraved behind it. Weird. This looks like early Japanese, but I can't read what this other language is…" Befuddled, Suika fiddled with the intricate and ornate mirror from every nook and cranny. A response was elicited by the pristine object when the glass frame reflected the Tsurugi by Suika's hip. "Hohoho...I don't know which kami the shopkeeper prayed to, but his luck is strangely extraordinary!" A familiar excitement filled Suika's chest, the same one she felt when she recognized the Ama-no-Murakumo-no-Tsurugi.

"Is the mirror that special?" Shion tilted her head in confusion.

"Special? It's more than just special, sweetheart! Feast your eyes, for you are given the privilege to see two of the three treasures that make up the Sanshu no Shinki!" Suika proudly presented the treasures by raising above her head in each hand.

"Ooohh~" Shion clapped at the dramatic pose by the youkai who's shorter than her. Suika was slightly disappointed about the subdued reaction by the latter but reasoned it as the ignorance of a vagrant.

The eight-span mirror, Yata no Kagami, pulsated the more it echoed with the spirit of the Tsurugi. Black vapor sprung and spread all over from inside the glass frame and coagulated into a shadowy figure. The resonations emitted from the treasures increased aggressively. Once the shape gained a more solid foundation, two visible slit-eyes manifested. The newborn presence forced the Tsurugi and Yata no Kagami from Suika's hands to levitate freely. Though Shion gasped and felt a heavy pit in her stomach, Suika watched impassively as if she anticipated this. The latter gestured for the demure goddess to not act rashly as the two sacred objects flew in a straight path back to their true master. The sword slanted to his side protectively, and the mirror hovered above his head. From the man's collar floated jade magatama beads. The three pieces were complete, and the Imperial Regalia of Japan sung a heavenly hymn, enthralled by their jubilation at being granted awareness.

"I felt the same aura as that of the menreiki and karakasa obake from the shadow. But this feels far more divine!"

"This level is the least people would expect from one of the most sacred sets of treasures that crowned the imperial lineage. I never assumed much from this guy, but where did all this luck come from? Why does he have the Yasakani no Magatama too!?" Suika expressed her uncontrollable shock at Rinnosuke's luck that would make the heavens jealous. She speculated that one of his ancestors had been blessed by or is actually one of the Seven Lucky Gods.

The waking of Rinnosuke has been left to the devices of the Regalias, and Suika can now spend her focus back to the dome. The closer she was to it, the louder the reverberation of wind knocked her ears. Peering at the curve of the hindrance, she could make out the pieces of serpentine bodies raining holy fire at the roof of the dome. They were twelve in numbers, and the symbol of Christ's execution was carved upon their foreheads.

"The hell are those!? They aren't dragons I'm familiar with!" Suika could feel the stumble of Shion behind her despite the goddess was flying, and she couldn't fault her.

Removing herself from the twelve feathery abominations, Suika scrutinized the infinite void that maintained the domain. Still disturbed by the sight of those looming bringers of destruction, she was determined to solve this incident.

"Time to test out this theory gnawing at my head." An arm thrust forward, and mist expelled from the flesh. Soon enough, the muscles, bones, tendons, etc. had evaporated into mist and collected themselves into another body of Suika with an uncanny resemblance. With a snap of her fingers, the clone, ordered by Suika, rushed forward and punched the surface of the domain. The force of the impact left no ripples, and the clone was devoured, slowly enveloped by the self-defense mechanism of the dome.

"Spatial fluctuations detected, let's see where the void leads me to." Eyes closed, Suika used the established link between her body double and switched to their perspective as she sank into a vortex surrounded by razor teeth. She narrowed her brows in apprehension when the body-double was fully enclosed from every angle in some tar-like fluid. When she finally arrived at the predetermined destination, she was caught in pure surprise. "What is this!?"

* * *

"Remember, do not stray away from me."

"Un."

"Keep your hands locked onto mine at all times."

"Un."

"If you find anything out of place, anything that seems wrong with the environment, and above all, if something is piquing your interest, you are to immediately bring it to my attention by gripping my hand."

"Got it. Ignore everything you just said and wander inside alone."

"NO! That is the furthest course of action you can do!"

"Ehehehe~"

The unlikely duo was still fraternizing even under the pressuring atmosphere. That silver of positivity may be what kept them going from all the rough bumps along the way.

"Looks like it'll just be you and me for a little while longer, Koishi."

"I don't mind!' She cheerfully replied.

The two prowled near the border to not lose themselves in the unpredictable forest. As it grew larger and available space was being shrouded, they were forced to keep moving inwards at a steady pace.

"But man, I hope Suika can figure out how to save us soon. With such a huge scale event like this, It'll grab everyone's attention in Gensokyo, and more people will flock over."

"Forget about relying on Suika, we should solve the incident on our own!" Koishi raised a fist bump in great anticipation. "We're the ones closest to the core, so we have the highest chance at solving it!"

"So this is an incident, hmm? That reminds me of Rinnosuke's words on professional incident solvers."

"Yeah, yeah. The top two are Reimu and Marisa, but you already defeated the latter, Touma!" She proudly stated his achievements, almost like she was the one who accomplished the deed by associating herself with him.

"Ahahaha…" He rubbed the back of his head nervously.

"Enjoying ourselves are we? And I feel so lonely being left out."

The duo swerved their heads to the source of that voice beyond their vision.

"Who's there!?" Touma shouted out to the disembodied voice of the stranger. It was not a sound he was familiar with, he thought.

"If I must."

Touma followed the sound of giggling. His eyes widened at the embolden color of gold swaying in the air. Near that mane of gold were chilling, crimson eyes. For some miraculous reason, an outline of the person was able to be seen in the dark.

The silhouette stood from where they sat in the tree line and jumped, making a flip in the air, and landing gracefully with their feet tucked together. When their vague appearance was shed with some light, Touma's breath was caught in his throat. The dark served to heighten the allure of her blond hair. And her pale skin befitted the moniker of someone who was not blessed by the sun. And the face...it vaguely resembled someone in his memory.

Seeing his lack of instant recognition, the blonde woman directed to Touma. "Come now, Kamijou. Can you really not recall who I am?" She placed a dainty index finger to her cheek and leaned her head close to it.

"If I was familiar with a bombshell like you with the mature air, a body that wouldn't fall behind to any, and grace bequeathed only to the most open-hearted of onee-sans, I wouldn't be wasting my time here." He spoke his thoughts out loud. It was too late when he realized his action.

"Ara~? What could you possibly mean by that, idiot Onii-chan?" Koishi gave a serene smile without tilting her head to him.

"I only mean that if, and only _if_, I actually met this woman beforehand, I would never have spent time with you Koishi, which I totally don't regret. Not a single bit. That's why I know nothing about this woman. Oh yeah, that's what I meant." Touma fixed his words at the speed of light. "But that ara~ you used was kind of tasteless, Koishi. It did not fit your character at all."

"Boo~" She pouted at his assessment.

"Fufufu. My, what a cute response." The pale woman's gentle chuckle comforted Touma's heart to an extent that he almost wanted to wistfully sigh at the pleasant sound. "But it makes me quite sad that you can't remember the maiden you laid your hands on who then opened her heart out thanks to you a few hours prior." That dejected frown on her face made him want to voluntarily turn himself to the nearest court possible.

"Touma, what does she mean by that?" Koishi's peaceful face stilled. But anyone can guess from the tone and bottomless depth in her eyes that she was anything but pleased. Her monstrous strength on his hand was almost crushing his index finger into smithereens.

He needed to put an end to this fast.

He narrowed his eyes to concentrate a little until the name at the top of his tongue solidified. "...Rumia?" He lightly muttered in recognition.

"Rumia? Do you mean that youkai who hangs around with that group of idiots? She looks similar, but she certainly doesn't act and feel like Rumia."

"Fuhuhu. Has my infamy been brought to an end in only a hundred years that not even tales of my brutal suppression survived?"

"I don't know about brutal. Sure, Rumia is still considered an infamous youkai properly known to hunt and eat outsiders." The person being spoken of felt a smug smile tugging on their lips. "But! But! There's also that rumor about Rumia being very 'un-youkai-like' too. In an interview with that shady tengu, Rumia is prone to being lazy and considers hunting humans as "bothersome." The most well-known rumor is that she once deliberately allowed a human to escape her, but not before driving the fear of her down to their hearts. It doesn't end there either. Someone once claimed they begged Rumia to not eat them, and she did let them run off scot-free!" Koishi continued to speak of benign tales of the modern Rumia, unmindful of the heat-filled glare being pointed to her.

Gears ran inside Touma's head. True enough, he recalled his interactions with Rumia. The Youkai of Dusk was no genius, but even she could be observant once every blue moon. She had suspected him to be an Outsider masquerading as a native from his piss poor acting skills, and he was confident in his opinion of Rumia of not being the person she said she was. There were too many merciful acts that couldn't be waved off as mere idiocy on her part. The fact that she went easy on him, to the point of handing him a spellcard for fairness, was a testament to him standing as of this instance.

"Hmph, to think my mind had deteriorated that much." She pinched her brows from how bothersome she used to act. "That ofuda seal had done more than just regress my form and power. Even my memories and certain facets of my personality were locked away."

"So what you're saying is that you-"

"That's right~" The blond woman chirped at him. "I appear before you as the true form of the youkai you are familiar with. I am Rumia, an unclassified youkai born from man's fear of the dark! Reputable for cleansing the Earth of human civilization several times, and a professional at culling humanity from proliferating too much!" She introduced herself in utmost enthusiasm, lifting her chest up slightly.

Nonplussed at her introduction, Touma carried on with his intent. "That sounds quite grand and I'd even congratulate you on your return. But we need you to put an end to what's already happening. Stop this dome from growing any further immediately!" Touma hardened his features to bring out his fiercest scowl. By the time he witnessed the first scene of the darkness being bent by someone's will, he already deducted the mastermind behind all this.

"Hah! I went out of my way to greet you personally and the first thing you do is demand something from me?" She was not angry by any means from that amused look she was sporting. Rumia hugged herself and licked the bottom of her lips. "Don't look at me with such an intense fire like the sun. It makes me hunger for it to be shrouded with my essence."

Unflustered by her words, Touma stood resolutely without an inch of a twitch on his face. "Why go through all this trouble? What do you want from me anyway? You're gonna kill me for something petty like revenge? Or do you prefer to remove all pretenses and just get straight to eating me?"

Pleased by his response, Rumia regarded him with a smirk. "It's not proper to get too hasty with ourselves. Unlike my other, pitiful self, I don't let my emotions dictate my actions. My goal is simple. To repay my debt to you with a gift most fitting."

"And what could I have done to be so deserving more than your fury?"

"Come now, Kamijou. It's not polite to deny a lady when she calls for a gentleman. Has your mother not taught you that much?" Rumia shook her head at him light-heartedly. "I set this stage especially for you, the man of my interest. You've saved me the long wait of releasing myself from the seal."

"The ofuda, huh? So then that sacred object was trying to prevent this form from reaching daylight."

"Not quite the purpose it was used for, but you catch on fast." In one instant, Touma's hand moved on its own to intercept her movement, but she held his wrist on one hand and patted his head with the other. The sudden action brought Touma to a cold sweat. The speed she operated on was fearsome, but what felt even more terrifying was how chummy she was acting with him. "Indeed, I was feared for my power and influence, so that ribbon tied to my hair locked me in a weakened state by lobotomizing my intelligence to prevent me from questioning if something was wrong. Oh, how vexing indeed."

Touma chose to remain silent from the information in favor of astutely observing her body language. He heard her charming giggles up close as she disengaged from him and stepped back a few paces. It was a sight to see the woman with a mature body trailing both hands up her hair and then parting them.

"I'm almost embarrassed to have shown you something so unsightly. All of my memories. Without having that foundation, that brat can't be called someone whole can she? It's hard to disagree, right?" Rumia immersed herself in her own words so much, she did not notice the glint in Touma's eye and the air surrounding him to drop. "I would not have been so neglectful like her, falling behind so much with this unceasing, changing world. Those humans would've died no doubt if it were me in her place-"

"Enough." That was when Touma made his decision to cut in and snap at her sharply. "I don't understand you, Rumia. I haven't spent a single day trying to get to know you at all. The first time we met was by total accident. We talked about Gensokyo, we argued over the meaning of youkai, we even ended up fighting because you were just doing what you thought was the right thing to do. And you're most likely right that the one standing before me is the true Rumia." The Youkai drenched in Darkness looked at him in curiosity at what he was trying to get at. That act fueled Touma's confidence and his next words were filled with vigor. "But don't deny that corner inside you that made up the one I met! You can't just say those doubts and hesitance you've had about eating humans are the faults of ignorance! They were present inside her because they already existed inside you from the beginning! Those are your feelings deep down and nobody, not even yourself can denounce them! No matter how many times you forget, or how much you freeze and tuck them to the bottom of your heart, those emotions will never leave or betray you!"

Touma fully prepared himself to bail out with Koishi at a moment's notice now that he's said his piece. However, Rumia's next action did not fit any of his predictions whatsoever.

"...I see." That was the only thing she responded with. Her half-lidded eyes and hand to her mouth told him she had no intent on mocking him, getting angry at his word, or be regretful from what she said. The only emotion she expressed was pure contemplation. "Well...it no longer matters now, the past shouldn't control the present is a common opinion many tell themselves, right?" She gave a non-committed shrug and returned to her jovial mood with a smile. "How about this? I can listen to your request if you can accomplish the impossible."

"And what does that entail?"

"Which of us can outdo the other?" Rumia smacked her vibrant lips that seemed to tempt the outsider. "I'm giving you a challenge alongside my reward. Aren't I so great?" Her self-praise failed to elicit anything from the duo watching. "Feel free to explore and prod every inch inside me. Will you last longer than I can? Or will you be devoured whole by me? Don't betray my expectations of you now~"

With her parting words, she clapped her hands and sunk her body into a black pool beneath her. The figure of Rumia was completely gone from their sights, which meant now was the time to panic. They both noticed it at the same time and looked over their shoulders. The speed at which the border approached their side accelerated in an instant.

"Tch!"

Touma almost wanted to scoop Koishi in his arms but held back with the uncertainty of what might happen if she touched Imagine Breaker. So he burst into action by sprinting again. Their vision has been obscured and only a meter of visibility was around.

"Kyaa!"

That sound of distress clutched Touma's heart and his body chilled. He looked to Koishi and saw her feet being pulled down by shadowy hands. Their rate of spreading themselves was ghastly fast from already reaching her knees.

"Hang on!" He already put his right hand to move but paused when a whisper flew into his ear.

"Are you sure you want to do that? That darkness is coating her very thinly. Just imagine what might occur if you touch her skin." The sweet, disembodied voice of Rumia pricked his heart with the poisonous seed of doubt. "That power in your right hand is wasted in your attempts to save her. She's a lost cause. You can still save yourself if you abandon her here."

His reply was immediate in his throat. "Who said you'd be the one to decide that!?" Touma repositioned himself while having his hands still tightly locked with Koishi's, behind her and raised his right hand to wall himself and Koishi from the tumbling walls of Rumia's fangs. Thankfully, the provocative voice of Rumia had vanished without a word.

It might have been a trick to his ears, but Touma thought he heard a lingering sigh that gave the impression of indecisiveness before the source of it made a resolved stance. Right now, the cornered teen was stuck between a soul he can't save and the avalanche of certain despair.

"Touma Onii-chan." Koishi fixed her stare right at his eyes. "I'm not afraid."

"...Don't give me that." Touma started softly, gritting his teeth at the flow of events. "Don't try to reassure me that you're fine when you're not. I can tell that you're trembling on the inside." It was true when her shaking hands were any indication. "So don't lie to yourself and have faith in me, okay!?"

Koishi had no more words to say. Her lips quivered into an uncertain smile, and that was the response she could give him. As her bottom half was completely coated in Rumia's domain, she was affixed in place, and none of Touma's strength could unbind her. Touma's right hand was still occupied with keeping the walls from progressing onto him from behind. But that limited range did not stop a sliver of it from snaking its way on the ground and grabbing his feet, nor did it stop the adjacent substance from surrounding them.

Touma solemnly watched with indignation inwardly. He thought the smiling face of Koishi in front of him was being put on for his sake. He knew Koishi was silently crying on the inside, and her face did its absolute best to not betray those feelings by worrying him. She nodded to him before a sludge of black matter erupted underneath and consumed her figure.

The satori's figure, who shut her own heart, may have been gone from his sight, but he could still feel his hand latched to hers inside the gunk. That came with another problem. Touma's body was slowly being consumed alongside her. The process was not painful at all. It was not soothing either. To his sides, the avalanche shut off any paths of escaping and were covering him by the shoulders.

_'If only….if only…!'_

Dangerous thoughts such as 'if only' echoed in his head. He knew there was nothing that could change the past with human hands. That is the reason people should move on henceforward since they had no power to overturn what has occurred. That did not mean the irrationality of humans disappeared alongside this thought process. Feelings of regret and guilt will still gnaw away at the stability of a person's core regardless.

_'if only I had…!'_

The world did not wish to be surprised by more unknown manifestations of his thoughts any further. Touma closed his eyes with the complete swallowing of his body by the darkness. His feet were carried away from the comfort of solid ground and was thrown away into an unknown direction. The inexplicable force was staggering and his best efforts did not allow him to keep his hand latched to Koishi's any longer. The two were flung across an enormous distance in separate directions.

Eyelids still sealed tightly, Touma tumbled among concealed objects inside the center of a vortex. When time resumed, he landed roughly on something solid with a loud grunt and thud. Body spread all over a baffling flat plane, he groggily stood up without support near him.

When his eyes hesitantly released themselves, that's when the creeping terror was unleashed.

"… … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … Huh?"

His voice squeaked involuntarily. It was dripping with anxiety and weakness. His body temperature had fallen from how cold he must've felt. His rate of breathing rose the more he hyperventilated. The core of his heart was pounding in his ear.

"A-Aaagh… hah… … … … … hic… …"

The reason why his lips felt oddly moisturized in his head was unclear. Did it come from the slipping cold sweat? Or was the taste of saltiness in his mouth meant the tears on his face were not an illusion?

"N-No...way…"

With blurred, unfocused vision, not from the dark this time, he saw the color of black and nothing more. The earth. The sky. Everything was pitch black without a unique outline in sight.

"Ka…"

His head swerved with such fervor it might've snapped right off. In every direction, in every perceivable turn, the image did not change. His legs felt weak and almost wanted to cave in.

"… … … … … …"

But there was a clear difference this time around. He was truly alone. There was no human, god, youkai, or entity to accompany him. He was, without a doubt, the only existence with meaning in the area.

"… … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … …"

There was no physical enemy, not a world he must traverse, or a disaster he needed to overcome. The enemy most insidiously lurking the familiar world could only be pointed at one person. Touma's real enemy was himself. The mental barriers he created had finally come loose. The old scars and nightmares surfaced in their entirety.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

* * *

**AN: Surprised about that ending, huh? Don't worry, it's not meant to look like an act of hatred on Touma, but an act of love. Okay, that does sound like bullshit, but he has a purpose being there.**

**Alright, to begin with what I have planned for this story and how to go about fixing it, I plan on doing a soft rewrite. Okay, not the most encouraging thing to say after four months. I understand, rewrites are a cautionary tale. Authors would post several fixed chapters and then abandon them afterwords. I get it, I've been there before plenty of time. My plan is fix the many, glaring flaws in this fic, one of which is the pacing. The other is to allocate approprite screen time for relevant characters of an arc. Recontextualizing some certain scenes and rewriting a few characterization is needed too. What I have set up is that I'll upload the current chapter in a new fic for archive purposes should people like them. I will be posting the updated versions and new chapters here, including changing the title of the fic for something easier on the tongue.**

**Huh, guess that means I'll be leaving Touma in this state for quite a while. Do your best, Touma!**

**As an apology and reward for the long wait and even more waiting for the next chapter, I have posted an updated bottom portion of Chapter 6: First Night IV to have the introduction of Othinus in this fic and my purpose for her in the future. If if you have time, please head over and read it.**

* * *

**Omake: A promise for the future.**

"What oh what will I do?"

A disembodied voice questioned itself from standing by as the Imagine Breaker abandoned all rational and broke down. Without anyone important to witness his madness, Touma unleashed the dark fears and trauma burdened within him to the familiar void. Repressed frustrations spread all over his body as the twitching never ceased. Arms flailed wildly, trying to swipe away at something horrendous that has already passed on. That defenseless highschooler was stripped of the wards protecting him, and the nightmares began to surface.

There was nobody he could latch onto. Not a soul in sight to grant him relief and spare him relieving those hells he shared with only one other. Soldiering his eyelids together would not give an escape from the blinding miasma around him, it would only serve to allow his mind to devour itself further.

"Should I be overstepping my boundaries at this point this early? If I call myself an ability, then what is the right thing I'm supposed to be doing?" Surprised by how whimsical they must sound, a sober sentiment came all over their face for but a brief second.

This could be over. It would be so easy to grant him a release from revisiting this blank landscape. The accelerator pedal just needed to be pressed, and the monster of steel would rush and smash his body all over the bumpers. There would be no pain. Everything would come swiftly without warning. It was a job left unto their shoulders.

It would be so easy.

The unidentified person leaned deeper into the driver's seat wistfully and breathed a deep sigh instead. They had already identified their purpose from when they were born. To be troubled and question themselves meant this feeling truly belonged only to them, a result of acquiring and keeping human sentimental values for longer than was necessary.

"I feel as if I became much closer to Tenryuu than before. Damn her, did she foresaw things would come to this?" Fingers tapped the gear lever rhythmically from their owner's deep musing. This was a chance to set something right. This was a chance where they could offer something more than violence. This was a chance to redeem themselves for their poor inability to grant a shoulder for someone in their direst need.

"I'm not one for honey-colored words such as 'I will save you' or 'I will protect you' since I'm not the right person to be speaking them. Maybe if there was a chance, would you allow me to still act as your ability, even if I already have a new master?"

This could be a start to something more than being a horse for its king.

"I'd be doing something right about now, but oh well!" The melancholy was abruptly shattered from the person's flippant switch into a relaxed posture. A bottle of milk was pulled from the beverage holder next to them, and the person downed the contents enthusiastically. After finishing their drink, the mysterious bystander locked onto Touma once again. "I'll just use my hand dandy fishing rod remote controller and get him out of this funk. Who knows how many more months it'll be before me and Kamijou will ever see the sun again in our lives."

After some quick thinking, the truck remained stationary, and Touma stayed put, raving wildly into the open air.

"One year over there and not half a day here. I implore you to wait patiently until the day our dear Kamijou may be saved from his predicament." They shrugged as if none of it was their concern. "These words are only possible during an omake, so I'll say them just once. Happy late anniversary, dear readers. Next time, we begin the Blind Dragon's Incident."


End file.
